Sunspot and Wolfsbane
by Issylt
Summary: Roberto is the new kid on the block, and soon finds himself disliking Rahne strongly. However, as their mutancy grows, and they find themselves partners in Biology, can they learn to get used to each other? RobRahne
1. Roberto de Costa

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. **

"Roberto!"

A long silence echoed down the hallway.

"Roberto de Costa!"

Silence still.

Mr. de Costa sighed, removing his black-framed spectacles from his nose before pressing a scarlet button besides him, on his mahogany desk. A male servant immediately came running.

"Yes, sir?"

"Bring my son, Estevao. I don't care how you do it, just bring him."

"Right away, sir," the dark man replied, in the Portuguese tongue, departing the room swiftly.

Eduardo de Costa sighed, shaking his head with disapproval. Managing his son, he thought, was about the most difficult task in the world. Far more difficult than even managing his company. He and Roberto had never been really close, but the boy had never been this bad until recently. There were times, Eduardo recalled with a grimace, when Roberto had been so difficult that Eduardo was almost tempted to send him away from their luxurious house. So far, Eduardo had not yet done so. But, he realized, there was no other choice for him this time.

Footsteps sounded, and then the door opened. Standing there was Estevao, Eduardo's servant, with someone else this time. A tall, handsome, well-tanned youth of about seventeen, with a cold and grim look on his face, dark hair and dark eyes. At a nod from Eduardo, Estevao turned and left quietly, shutting the door behind him.

"You called?" The youth's voice held no trace of warmth whatsoever.

"Yes, Roberto. I assume you want to know the truth about a decision I've made?"

"Just get on with it, won't you?"

Unperturbed by the boy's rudeness, Eduardo cleared his throat, and finally opened his mouth to speak, in the Portuguese language which had been their main language for years.

"You're going away to the USA."

A shocked silence reigned for several moments.

"I'm not," Roberto finally replied, flatly.

"You are, Roberto," sighed Eduardo. "You've left me no choice. Believe me, Roberto, I've tried to be a good father to you. I've done everything I can to mould you into a fine young man, hopefully as successful as me someday. But all you've done is repay me with rudeness and ungratefulness. Such behaviour will not be tolerated. My mind is made. You'll fly off to the USA in three months' time."

"Oh, I see," Roberto answered, coldly. "So, I've been too much of a burden to you, haven't I, that I now have to be packed off like some…baggage to a foreign country?"

"Roberto…"

"It always has to come down to something of this sort, one way or another, isn't it?" Roberto's voice was rising angrily, his face growing paler with rage. "Somehow, I can never be good enough for you! All you care about is your stupid business, so much that I just don't have a place in your life anymore! Is that it?"

"Roberto, that's enough!" snapped his father, rising from his seat angrily.

"But…."

"No more buts!" snapped Eduardo. "I've already registered you in Bayville High School. You'll stay with your Aunt Barbara and Uncle Fausto there. You needn't worry, you'll be given the best care over there, since you think me a not good enough father."

"Very well then!" Roberto shouted. "Go ahead! Send me there this instant, if you like! What do I care?"

"Roberto!" Eduardo's voice was almost loud enough to bring down the roof on them. "Shut your mouth! I've heard enough of your rudeness! Go!"

"Just fine with me!" hissed Roberto, turning around quickly to leave, so that his father could not see the sudden tears rushing to his eyes.

**OK! R & R, please!!! It's my 1st X-Men fanfic, so be kind to me!!! I'm REALLY busy with work, so I may take some time to update. **


	2. Rahne Sinclair

Rahne Sinclair sighed softly to herself, as she allowed her gaze to travel freely over the old and beautiful hills of Edinburgh, maybe for the last time in many years to come.

The seventeen-year-old girl was tall and slim, with long, reddish hair and large, bright green eyes. She could not exactly be classified as beautiful, though her face was attractive in its own way, pretty and fair-skinned, set with smiling lips and a long, straight nose. As a dreamy smile played about on her lips, the door behind her opened, and a red-haired, dark-eyed woman stepped into the room.

"Still taking in last sights, Rahne?" she smiled, speaking in Scottish Gaelic, the language they had grown up with.

"Mmm-hmm." Rahne nodded at her mother, also speaking in Gaelic. "I'll miss Edinburgh!"

"I know. But take this change as a change for the better. You'll probably love America soon enough. It's…."

"The most prosperous country around," finished Rahne. "Yes, I know, mum. You've said that thousands of times now!"

Mrs. Sinclair smiled, and gave her only child a pat on the shoulder.

"Come on," she said. "Don't waste time lingering here further. We'll be ready to leave in a couple of minutes."

Rahne nodded obediently, and dropped down from the window-sill on which she was sitting.

_America. I wonder more than ever what it'll be like there. _

"Come on, Rahne!" Mrs. Sinclair hollered again.

"Be right there!"

Casting a final look at the magnificent scenery, Rahne quickly kept a mental record of it: fresh green hills, lovely, bright-coloured flowers, and an old-fashioned castle, situated further away, so that in the distance, it looked much tinier than it really was.

_Goodbye, Scotland! Sla/n agat _

**Right, I know it's a really short chappie, but hopefully, the next ones will be longer. R & R, please!!!!!! **

**P.S. "Sla/n agat" is Gaelic for "goodbye". **


	3. Sunspot

Roberto flung his bag down angrily onto the ground, storming into towards his room like a furious elephant.

He had only been in Bayville High, his new American school for but a week, yet he felt as though he had spent a lifetime there. The male teenagers in his class had had the pleasure of mocking him daily, for they knew Roberto was obviously not quite like them, being from a completely new country, and neither could he speak English that fluently either, for he had only spoken Portuguese and Spanish all his life.

_You'll never fit in, jerk! _

_What are you, some jungle-boy from the forest? _

_Amazing! You can actually speak some English! I'm stunned! _

"Oh, shut up!" he muttered angrily, trying to keep his mockers' words out of his mind. "Go find something better to say and do!"

"Roberto!"

"Excellent. Just excellent," he grumbled, knowing full well who was calling him.

"Roberto de Costa. Ah, you're back again!" A woman, tall and plump, with long fair hair and brown eyes, suddenly barred his doorway, wiping her large hands on her white apron. "Had a good day in school?"

"No better than before." Roberto rolled his eyes.

The woman sighed, planting her hands on her wide hips, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Ever heard of the words 'settle in'?"

"Oh, yes," Roberto responded coldly. "Quite interesting words, isn't it? Settle in! Bah! Do you know how difficult it is to settle in and adjust in a new environment in which everyone laughs at you because you're different?"

"Ahem." The woman cleared her throat, giving Roberto a malevolent glare. "And whose fault is it if they don't like you?"

"Their problem."

"Some reply!" she snapped. "They're not going to try and adjust to you; you'll have to adjust to them!"

"_Like_ I haven't been trying. It's simple, really. I try. They still hate and discriminate me." Roberto shrugged.

"Ah. Some people never learn, do they?" the woman sneered, before turning around, leaving Roberto alone in his little room.

"Indeed," Roberto replied quietly. "Especially people like you! Just never learn that sometimes, it's not always your fault if others hate you."

Muttering angrily to himself in a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish, Roberto sauntered over to the only window in his room, gazing out at the sky, lit up by the ever-generous sun. Well, he was free then. No work to be done, no friends to chat with. Might as well make full use of his free time, then, he thought to himself.

From young, Roberto had always been an expert in climbing. With a wry smile, grateful for this ability, he pushed the window open, sitting on the ledge with his long, strong legs dangling down. The ground was many feet beneath him, but this posed no problems for Roberto, as he clung on tightly to the long ivy vine which grew on the wall. Smiling to himself, he nimbly climbed down gracefully with little effort, landing on the ground below lightly.

"Feels so good," he said to himself, in his native tongue. "Ahhhh, at least the sun is generous enough to me!"

The sun's bright rays shone down gloriously on him, as Roberto leaned back under a tree, his eyes closed. How good it felt!

Why he should suddenly seem to enjoy the sun so much, he himself could hardly tell.

He had only been lying thus for about five minutes when he felt a change slowly come over him. Although he heard or saw nothing, he thought he could feel amazing energy pulsating right through him. Startled, he half-jerked up, staring down at his body.

"AAAHHH!!!" A scream of fright escaped his mouth, as he beheld his body on fire. Bright, orange flames covered him completely, so that Roberto thought he was doomed. Still shrieking with horror, he flew to his aunt's pond like a madman, hardly noticing that he felt no pain or searing heat, and jumped right into the water!

_This is not happening, this is not happening! I'm simply having a bad dream, or something_!

He stayed underwater as long as he could hold his breath, and then his lungs begin to scream for air. Half-choking and half-gasping, he kicked his legs strongly and surfaced himself, dragging his body onto dry land, still gasping for breath.

"OK," he told himself sternly. "Calm down, Roberto. You must be seeing things, in your anger over the fact that you have a father who cares so much about money only that you finally fade out. I was not on fire!"

Sweeping his wet hair away from his face, he carefully examined himself. Eerily, he realized that his skin was not one bit burnt or damaged, and his clothes were completely intact, as though the fire had never burned; like a figment of his imagination.

_What is going on? What's happening to me? How could the fire have not hurt me at all? And where on earth did it come from? _

There was only one explanation for it.

He was turning into a freak.


	4. New Recruit

Roberto groaned with utter annoyance, as the sunlight streamed through his window, to shine directly on him.

Cursing in a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish, Roberto sat up in his cozy enough bed, rubbing his dark eyes, and pulled the curtains across the window, with more force than was really necessary.

"I'm taking no more risks!" he said aloud, recalling how his freaky side had suddenly popped up after sunbathing.

Keeping alert every moment, to ensure the sun rays didn't touch him for even one moment, Roberto changed out of his pyjamas, and dragged himself downstairs, pleased that his aunt would be away for the whole weekend. At least she would have no chance to find out about his freakiness, well, not for the moment.

Munching silently and sullenly on some toast, Roberto tried to do some figuring out in his head. As long as his freakiness lasted, there was no way in the world he could still go on to school and act normal. He would, quite simply, probably be thrown out of the school.

Ding-dong.

With a sigh, Roberto half-tossed his plate into the sink, wiping his hands on his pants, and stalked over to the door, pulling it open with some violence. Three people stood there; two of them were rather familiar, Roberto recalling having seen them before in his school, but the third person, a tall, stern-faced man, was unfamiliar to Roberto. One of them, a boy of about 18, was tall and handsome, with short brown hair and a pair of red glasses covering his eyes. Next to him stood a girl of perhaps the same age, tall and beautiful, with unusual green eyes and long, reddish hair. Both were clad in some garments that appeared _very _strange to Roberto. The boy wore tight-fitting garments of dark blue, with a broad yellow X on the front. The girl next to him wore similar coloured garments with a broad green stripe down the front. The third person, a stern-faced man with dark eyes and hair, however, had his own outfit, dark blue trousers, and a short-sleeved dark blue shirt fashioned in a very unusual way Roberto could not quite describe.

"Hello!" The girl, wearing a bright smile, extended a hand to Roberto. "I'm Jean Grey, this is Scott, and this is Logan. Are you Roberto de Costa?"

Roberto shook her hand politely, but decided not to answer her question directly.

"How did you know my name?" he demanded suspiciously.

"Well," replied the youth whom Jean had introduced as Scott, "we do attend the same school."

"That doesn't mean I'm acquainted with you," Roberto muttered.

"Don't worry," Jean said replied calmly. "We have not come here to terrorize you. All we want is to help you."

"Help me?" Roberto raised his eyes.

"Have…funny things been happening to you lately?" Scott enquired.

"What?" Roberto exclaimed, backing away, his hands flying out in front of himself instinctively. "What do you know of that? That's entirely my own business!"

"Will you at least care to watch something?" Jean asked.

"Depends on what it is."

Turning her gaze to the table where a small plastic cup sat, Jean extended a hand towards it, her green eyes reflecting her fierce concentration. As Roberto turned to watch, the cup actually lifted itself up from the table, floating lightly towards the startled Brazilian.

"What…" he gasped, stunned.

"Telekinesis," Jean explained, levitating the cup to her hand. "An ability to move objects without actually touching them."

"How did you do that?" Roberto asked, getting excited in spite of himself.

"Mutant ability." For the first time, Logan spoke, in a deep, grim voice.

"Mutant? Impressive," Roberto remarked sarcastically.

"That's what you are, Roberto," Jean explained, choosing her words with care. "No, no, it's nothing scary or dreadful. Trust me, I hated my mutancy too at first. But I just got used to it. If you just learn to understand and control your powers, you'll find it nothing dreadful at all, really. If I recall correctly…"

"I'm a mutant?" Roberto half-shouted, horrified. "What can you mean? That I'm some sort of freak with freaky powers?"

"It's nothing freaky, or anything to be ashamed of," Scott said patiently. "You see, Roberto, we mutants, we were once normal humans, with normal human genes. That is, until something in our X genes mutated slightly, giving rise to a whole range of wondrous powers." He nodded to Jean, and the red-haired girl, without a word, levitated the cup calmly back to the table.

"So, what do you want of me now?" Roberto enquired coldly.

"To help you," replied Jean. "You see, the three of us, me, Scott, Logan, we all belong to a certain institute, where there are many others like us. A professor trains us daily to control our powers, and use them for good reasons, to help others without hurting people. So, we were just wondering if…"

"You would like to come along and join the Institute," finished Scott. "You'll be treated well there, and get to mix with peers just like you. Will you come?"

"How do I know I can trust you?" Roberto asked. "How do I know you're not just some…kidnappers trying to take advantage of my powers? Besides, how did you know about my freakiness?"

"We'd never take advantage of you," Jean said quietly. "It's beneath us to even think of such a thought. As to your other question, well, the Professor who trains us, he has this special machine called Cerebro. It enables him to locate and identify mutants from all over. Of course, if you want to join us, we'll have to consult your parents first and…"

"Hah!" Roberto exclaimed, with pure disgust. "I've no real parents! My mother died after I was born, and my dad…never cared about me. I'm living with my aunt for the moment!"

"Oh. I'm sorry about your mum. Will you at least let us talk with your aunt, then?" Scott asked.

"Fine," Roberto shrugged. Then, in an undertone, to himself, "Not that she'll actually bother about me, anyhow. No one does!"

"The professor does," Logan unexpectedly put in. "He's sacrificed much time and money to help the unaccepted feel accepted. Don't think no one bothers about you!"

Roberto stared at Logan.

"Enhanced senses," Jean quickly put in, seeing Roberto's expression.

Roberto was saved from answering by the phone, which rang loud and clear, startling them considerably. Hurriedly excusing himself, Roberto ran to pick up the receiver. However, his mind was hardly focusing on the person's voice. All he could think about were the mutants outside the door. Help. Was it possible for someone to actually help him? Maybe even care about him? It was just like a dream come true.

"Well, your wish has come true," he reported to the others, as the speaker finally hung up. "My aunt just rang to say that she'll be returning soon. Much earlier than I expected. Guess you can talk to her then." For the first time, Roberto did not use his typical tone of voice: cold, unwelcoming, unfriendly.

Help. Care. Those words meant ever so much to Roberto at that moment.

"Great!" smiled Scott. "Maybe we should hang around a bit till she arrives?"

"If you wish. And, oh! Pardon my rudeness. I've kept you all out here for nearly ten minutes, I think! Will you come in?"

Relieved that Roberto was perhaps not as difficult as he seemed, the three mutants gratefully entered his house, patiently waiting.

Sure enough, Roberto's aunt returned in half an hour. What passed between her and the three mutants, however, Roberto never really found out, for his aunt sent him out, deciding to keep the conversation private. Whatever it was, the end result was that Roberto was ordered by his aunt to pack up, for she had agreed more than willingly to allow him to stay with the other mutants. Relieved though he was, an old tinge of hurt and sorrow lingered on in him, for his aunt had only talked for about ten minutes, before making her decision. Indicating she must have scarcely put much thought into the decision. And when Roberto descended the stairs at her call he noticed instantly a look of pure discomfort on her face, as though his mutancy was already beginning to freak her out.

Roberto had never been a materialistic boy. Thus, it took him barely half an hour to pack up all his belongings, ready to depart.

"Well, goodbye, Roberto," his aunt said stiffly and formally, forcing a smile for she noticed the others watching. "I hope you…have a good time there."

"Thank you, aunty," Roberto responded, just as stiffly. "Thank you for letting me stay here with you, and for letting me go. Goodbye."

His aunt merely nodded as she held the door open for the mutants.

Never looking back once, Roberto picked up his bags and followed the mutants to Scott's car, a beautiful, shiny red vehicle.

"Are there any other Bayville High students there in the institute?" Roberto enquired, once they were on their way.

"Oh, plenty!" Jean smiled. "In fact, they all are students at our school!"

"Oh, good." Roberto managed a little smile.

On and on drove Scott, for another twenty minutes or so, and then Scott stopped the car at an enormous mansion, so huge that Roberto couldn't help gasping at the sight of it.

"I'd get lost in there in a flash," he remarked.

"Don't you worry," Logan grunted. "The professor will soon buddy you up with someone to take care of you."

Suddenly feeling slightly nervous, Roberto clutched onto his bags tightly, following the others to the front door. Clearly, his arrival was already expected, for someone opened the white door, to admit a man in a wheelchair. A completely bald, middle-aged man, with dark eyes and a stern, yet warm face at the same time. Seeing Roberto, his face broke into a smile, and he instantly extended a hand to Roberto.

"Welcome, Roberto."

**Read and review!!! **

**Thanks a million to ****DarkJadedRose**** and ****LetsMakeBiscuits7****!!!! You two rock!!! You've been the only reviewers who have actually submitted more than 1 review each!!!**


	5. Haunting Nightmares

"Look! There it is! Just behind that tree!"

"After it!"

Chuckling evilly, two men clad in drab brown garments ran forth with huge guns in their hands, ready to fire.

_What's going on? Why are they chasing me like that? What have I done? _

BANG!!! A resounding gunshot loud enough to shake the heavens rang out, nearly deafening Rahne. She tried to clasp her hands over her ears, only to discover that the moment she tried to do so, she toppled over onto the ground.

"Get it!"

Rahne opened her mouth to scream, to tell them to leave her alone.

AWOOOOOH! Instead of a human scream, a terribly terrifying howl echoed throughout the forest, so eerie and inhuman that Rahne automatically released another scream. But all that came out was another inhuman howl.

Shaking and shivering violently with indescribable fear, Rahne slowly stared down at herself. What she beheld terrified her more than the men with the guns. Instead of possessing her normal fair-skinned human hands, all she had now were paws with claws! Reddish-brown fur spurted from all over her, and Rahne suddenly realized that she could actually see her nose, now round and black, jutting out from her face.

AWOOOOHHH! Rahne couldn't stop herself any further. It was worse than even the most dreadful of nightmares. How was it possible that she could have turned into some…animal?

Or worse still, some sort of furry freak.

Another single gunshot rang out.

Something hard and swift clouted Rahne on the chest. Believing it time for her to die, Rahne shut her eyes tightly, sucking in her breath as she waited for death to claim her. But she felt no pain whatsoever, and neither did any blood flow out. Instead, she begin to feel lighter and lighter, while her eyes begin to see stars.

Before she had any time to register what was going on, the world around her begin to change slowly, bit by bit. The green trees and plants swirled round and round, and everything else blurred. Gasping with fear, Rahne finally understood the meaning of sheer helplessness as she felt herself being sucked down and down into some kind of black-and-white spiral world.

"AAAHHH!" With a final effort to save her life, Rahne kicked out violently, only to find herself sitting bolt upright on her bed, sweat drenching her completely, so that it looked as though she had just fell into a pond.

Every inch of her body quivering and trembling, Rahne carefully examined herself in the fitful light. No, there was no more fur, paws, claws, or a jutting black nose. Only hands with five fingers, the skin fair and furless.

She was human again.

"Ohhhh, what is happening to me?" she groaned. "What have I done to deserve this?" She grasped the side of her head with her hands, shaking with tension.

It was no longer the first time that undesirable, unwanted nightmare had plagued her. For an entire week, she had kept dreaming the same dream every night, of being a wolf in the forest pursued by hunters with spooky guns. If there was any meaning or warning in it, Rahne saw none whatsoever.

"Keep calm," she ordered herself. "Just keep calm. As a developing teen, perhaps my mind reacts to psychological and physical developments in odd ways. Just stay calm. I am a human, not an animal or freak." Trying hard to regulate her swift, harsh breathing, Rahne leaned over to her bedside table, peering at the green clock she owned.

Three o'clock in the morning.

"Not much point staying awake and pondering my stupid nightmare," she mused. "I might as well force myself to sleep, or I'll never make it to school tomorrow. Ahhh, school…"

Blocking off any further thoughts from invading her tired mind, Rahne lay back, pulled the blanket higher to cover herself up to her chin, and waited for sleep to claim her.

Hopefully, a dreamless sleep.

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**U don't have to write a hundred-sentence review, even a few words or a sentence or two would be satisfying!!! Or should I take drastic steps and hold back from submitting another chappie until I get at least 4-5 reviews per chappie???!!! No use writing a story if nobody reads it!!! **

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	6. Seeds of Dislike

Rahne groaned aloud as she shut the top of her desk with more violence than was necessary.

"Excellent!" she said aloud in Gaelic, just loud enough to be heard by Anne, the girl next to her. "How could I have forgotten to bring my Calculus book today, of all days?"

"Having trouble, Rahne?" smirked Jones, a blond-haired, dark-eyed boy, and Rahne frowned with anger. She had never liked Jones, but then, no-one did, for he had a reputation of being the most irritating boy in the entire school.

"If I'm having trouble, it's with you!" the Scottish girl snapped, without really thinking, so tired and irritable was she.

"Ooohhh!" The whole class, suddenly awakened to a new source of amusement, stared on at them with delight.

Jones smiled, and a warning seemed to ring in that smile, so cold, so dangerous, so calm.

Unperturbed, Rahne gave him her fiercest glare, and turned her back on him deliberately.

From besides Rahne, Anne giggled softly, clearly as amused as the rest of the class.

"Ah, good morning all!" A woman's deep, sonorous voice suddenly boomed throughout the classroom, startling the students considerably. "I trust you all had a good weekend?"

"Yes, Mrs. Davy!"

"Now, take out your Calculus book, and turn to page twenty-four."

Rahne let out another huge sigh, audible enough to be heard.

"You having problems, Rahne?" Mrs. Davy's voice was more mocking than concerned.

"I've left my book at home. I'm sorry," Rahne forced herself to respond. She was no fonder of her Calculus teacher than the woman was of her.

"Very smart, Rahne. I think you really deserve a huge clap for that!"

Applause arose from the amused class, and Rahne clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white, red-hot anger searing inside her.

"Right, enough of that. We need to get on quickly before your first Calculus test. Jones, do you remember what I last taught you all about complex numbers?"

Rahne allowed herself to drift off slowly, so that Mrs. Davy's voice soon faded away like dew. Gripping the side of her heads with her hands, she sighed for the third time, softly. Why did she always have to mess things up? After leaving Scotland for America, she had been determined to do just as well as she always had in Scotland. But things were so different in America that Rahne found it increasingly hard to adjust.

Firstly, she had spoken Gaelic all her life, thus she found English somewhat difficult to cope with.

Secondly, her fellow schoolmates were far from friendly and helpful, as far as the sun was from the earth.

Thirdly, the teachers were just as mean as the students.

More than ever, Rahne thought back again and again to her nightmares. Being a wolf chased by hunters with guns, dream or no dream, was nothing less than absolutely terrifying and haunting. It just made _so _little sense. _Why_ should she keep dream about becoming a wolf, when she was as human as human could be?

"R-a-h-n-e S-i-n-c-l-a-i-r!!!"

"Huh?"

"Haven't you been listening to a word I've been saying?" Mrs. Davy demanded furiously. "Tell me, Miss Sinclair, what did I just ask?"

Leaning in discreetly towards Rahne, Anne whispered, "She asked you where the blackboard marker is!"

"You asked where the blackboard marker is," Rahne repeated after her, still too distracted and exhausted to think of the impossibility of such a question, when even a half-blind person could see the marker in Mrs. Davy's hand. "Isn't it in your hand right now?"

Laughter broke out from the class, several fingers pointed at poor Rahne. Next to Rahne, Anne chortled loudly, holding her sides, clearly delighted at her success. Rahne glared at her.

"Rahne! I will not tolerate such idiocy in my class!" bellowed Mrs. Davy. "Out! Out you go now! Take your books, and get out!"

"Wha…" Rahne protested, staring horrified at her teacher.

"You heard me!" snapped Mrs. Davy. "GET OUT NOW!!!"

"Oooh!" the class could be heard to mutter.

"But-but," Rahne protested.

"Enough is enough! Do you wished to be dragged out?!"

"Fine, fine, I'm going!" Rahne snarled, finally allowing her anger to get the better of her. Viciously snatching up her books and unopened pencil-case, Rahne stalked out of the class furiously, trying to block out the sound of Jones laughing, a laughter so loud that it surely could be heard from ten miles away.

Clutching her books and pencil-case to her chest, Rahne strode down the empty corridor, walking more and more swiftly before it gave way to running.

"Rahne Sinclair!"

_Uh oh! Not good! _

Ignoring the voice of the teacher who was probably Mr. Denwen, the strictest and worst teacher in the whole of Bayville High, Rahne sprinted on towards her locker, turning a sharp corner with perhaps too much speed.

"_Mirar hacia fuera, idiota_!" a boy's voice snapped, in a language Rahne couldn't understand.

CRASH! Too late for them both! Upon hearing the sharp tone, Rahne automatically tried to swerve, but her reflexes were a trifle too slow. She collided into the other person with full force, so hard that her breath was fully knocked out of her lungs as she staggered backwards several paces, her books and pencil-case flying out of her hands.

"Owww! Why do you have to run about like that like some…some hurricane?"

"Sorry!" Rahne snapped back, stung by the boy's anger. "It was just an accident! Get over it!" She hastily bent down to pick up her fallen books, in no mood to be further irritated.

"Get over it?" snarled the boy, towering over her furiously, hands on hips. "Look at what you've done!"

Picking up her last book, Rahne straightened herself, feeling ready and angry enough to fight a raging bull. It was in that moment she found herself face-to-face with a most handsome boy with tanned skin and dark hair, his dark brown eyes blazing like fire. She knew him well enough, she decided.

Roberto de Costa.

The handsomest, but coldest and most unfriendly boy in the school.

"Rahne Sinclair! Honestly, did you think an apology is enough?" he barked furiously, his eyes looking as though they would bore a hole right through her. "Just look at what you've done to my Chemistry model!"

He jerked a finger at bits and pieces of small round balls and wooden picks lying scattered on the ground.

"That," he said, articulating the word with extreme slowness, "took me an entire week to do! And it's due in today! Do you expect me to work some sort of magic and conjure up another model from thin air?"

"I apologize!" Rahne snapped. "I didn't mean to bang right into you! Don't you understand the meaning of an accident?"

"An accident which cost me a week's hard work!"

"I apologize!" Rahne's voice rose dangerously. "If you want to, I'll take full blame for this and tell your teacher that…."

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Find a better joke than that! My teacher will never accept such excuses!"

"Then I'll go up to your teacher and tell him or her the truth myself!"

"RAHNE SINCLAIR!"

"Gotta run first!" Rahne barked at Roberto. "Or I'll be in no less trouble than you! I promise you, I'll tell your teacher the truth myself later! Meet up with me by the Wardhouse Building at lunch!"

Without further ado, Rahne bolted down the corridor, and was soon lost to sight, leaving behind a most furious Roberto.

"Just you wait, Rahne!" Roberto muttered, clenching his fists, as he bent down to gather up the bits of his model. "Just you wait!"

**READ AND REVIEW!!! READ AND REVIEW!!!! I hate having to keep saying this, but why am I getting so few reviews? Is my story so deathly boring that no-one can be bothered to read it??!! ****LetsMakeBiscuits7**** has so far been the ONLY reviewer who has been kind enough to submit 1 review per chappie!!! (u're the best!!!) And thanks to **

**MonsterInTheCupboard and the rest for reviewing, or for putting me on alert! (please keep reviewing, guys!!!) If you**

**readers can be kind enough to submit enough reviews, this notice down here will eventually vanish, I promise you! **

**U don't have to write a hundred-sentence review, even a few words or a sentence or two would be satisfying!!! Or should I take drastic steps and hold back from submitting another chappie until I get at least 4-6 reviews per chappie???!!! No use writing a story if nobody reads it!!! **

**Come on…..you know you want to click on that little purple button down there!!! It needs some attention too, you know! So, GO AHEAD and REVIEW!!!! Thanks!!! **


	7. Partners

Rahne stepped quietly into the usual Science laboratory, and silently placed her books down onto a table, before seating herself on the bench with equal silence.

It was clear to her, by then, that she had probably made a complete enemy out of Roberto, that handsome Brazilian boy. Just the day before, she had kept her promise to him and told his Chemistry teacher the truth, but most unluckily for Roberto, Miss Kiena, a tall, skinny lady with a mean face, had refused to believe Rahne, insisting that Roberto had made her recite the lie to get himself out of trouble.

Roberto had been beyond furious, Rahne could tell. Although he had maintained perfect control of his rage in front of Miss Kiena, Rahne had seen the naked fury in his eyes, as Miss Kiena told him he would be awarded no marks for the project. Only when they had both departed from the room did Roberto turn on her in a rage, yelling at her so hard that Rahne thought the roof would collapse on them. Although Rahne tried to remind herself that Roberto had the right to be angry, her patience gradually slipped away, and she found herself yelling back. Their heated and furious argument had only ceased when Mr. Boyd, a bad-tempered, unpleasant Physics teacher, had come out from his office nearby and added on to the yelling and cursing.

"I won't forget this matter so lightly, Rahne Sinclair!" Roberto had warned the furious Scottish girl. "That project was worth thirty marks there! How dare you…."

"Yell on all you like!" Rahne had snapped back. "If you want to keep up your fury thus, don't expect me to keep apologizing and sympathizing with you!"

"_Número enemigo uno!_" Roberto had snarled, in his native tongue, before turning his back on her, giving her a look that could have effortlessly burned a hole right through the solid brick wall behind Rahne. It was obvious he had deliberately lent a touch of his own foreign language to their heated argument to prevent Rahne from understanding what he was uttering. Probably a curse, or swear word, no doubt, Rahne thought.

"Whatever," Rahne had muttered in Gaelic, glaring back ferociously.

"Hey Rahne!" A girl's friendly, merry voice abruptly startled Rahne's reverie, bringing back the daydreaming Scottish girl back to the past. "How are you going?"

"Normal, I guess," Rahne replied, as her only friend took her usual seat besides Rahne. Her buddy, Marian Dean, was a tall, somewhat skinny girl, with long, fair hair and keen, bright blue eyes. She was by far one of the friendliest girls around, the only one who never criticized or mocked Rahne.

"Rahne?"

"Yes?"

"Why does Roberto keep looking at you like that?"

"Like how?"

Marian turned her head slightly to the left, just enough for her eyes to catch sight of Roberto. Pursing up her lips, Rahne turned slightly too. Sure enough, the handsome Brazilian boy kept looking in Rahne's direction, a profoundly dangerous look on his face.

"Ugh!" Rahne groaned, rolling her green eyes with annoyance. "Guess he can't get that incident out of his stone head!"

Marian giggled, as she recalled her Scottish friend telling her how she had banged into Roberto violently, causing him to break his precious Chemistry model.

"What's so funny?" Rahne demanded.

Marian smothered another giggle, turning her most innocent look on Rahne.

"Nothing. I just like the way you keep giving Roberto such hilarious descriptions!"

"Would you mind dropping the subject?" Rahne muttered. "Hardly worth gossiping about that boy!"

"If it's fine with you," Marian smiled.

"Ah, good day to you all!" Mr. Dawson walked with his usual briskness and suddenness into the class, startling the students considerably, a broad plastic container in his hands. "Now, I've got a surprise for you all! You'll be choosing your lab partners today!"

"Nice surprise," Marian whispered to Rahne, raising her eyebrows.

"Shhh! No talking!" Mr. Dawson rapped out sharply. "Those of you whose names are in the first half alphabetically, come out and pick a name from this container."

"Hopefully I won't end up with a meanie's name!" Marian whispered to Rahne.

Students got up obediently, rushing to the table, eager to get their pick first. Observing Roberto quietly, Rahne noticed the slightest look of anxiety on his face. Clearly, she was not the only one worrying about lab partners.

"Now, read out your chosen names!"

One by one, names were read out, some with excitement, others with despair or disappointment. From her seat, Rahne groaned inwardly as Marian called out someone else's name. Perhaps it was too much to hope for, that Marian would get her name.

More and more names were read out. As more and more names were read out, Rahne's heart grew more and more anxious. So far, no-one had read out _her _name yet. Surely the one who had hers couldn't be….

"Roberto de Costa! Will you _please _read out your partner's name?" Mr. Dawson's voice was peevish and impatient. "Or are you trying to wait for another decade before you do so?"

"Rahne Sinclair."

Rahne's heart froze. Blood rushed at top speed to her face, and before she could control herself, she blurted out, "NO! Impossible! Roberto de Costa, if this is meant to be a joke, it isn't funny!"

"A joke!" Roberto exploded. "What kind of joke would it be??!! Do you think me so idiotic as to crack a so-called joke like this? Do you think I want to be your lab partner any more than you want to be mine? I'd willingly give up a thousand dollars to avoid being your partner!"

Rahne's face paled with rage, and she jerked her chair backwards, green eyes blazing. Roberto glared back, looking ready enough to tackle a lion. Around them, the other students drew in deep breaths, their eyes as wide as plates.

"Are you two babies or kindergarten children, to behave like this?" Mr. Dawson roared. "Maybe you would prefer to…."

"Mr. Dawson, there's no way I'm going to be Rahne's partner!" Roberto interrupted. "Can't I change…"

"No! Your partner stands! Stop acting like babies! How old are you two? Seventeen, or seven?"

Clenching her fists with rage, Rahne forced herself to sit down. Likewise, Roberto, her unwanted lab partner, made himself sink down onto his seat, his eyes blazing like dark fire.

The rest of the lesson went on uneventfully. Still horrified and furious at having to be the lab partner of the boy she loathed most in the school, Rahne kept her eyes glued on the clock on the wall, waiting impatiently for the end of the lesson so she could go home and think out the matter in silence. There was no way in the world she was going to put up with _him _for the rest of the year. Sheer relief, by the end of the lesson, was written all over Rahne's face as she gathered her books and stalked out in a fury.

"Hey Rahne! Wait up for me! What's the big rush?"

"Sorry," Rahne said, with more sharpness than was usual, when communicating with Marian. "I'm just hardly in a mood to be all smiley and friendly right now."

"Oh, come on, Rahne!" Marian coaxed her friend, with her infectious, irresistible smile. "I know exactly what's on your troubled mind at this moment. But, come on, be grateful! There are not a few girls who keep vying for Roberto's attention! You're lucky to be his lab partner!"

"_Lucky_?" Rahne cried. "I think I'm about the unluckiest girl in the world, to be _that _boy's partner! I can scarcely put up with him for five minutes, let alone for the rest of the year when we have to work together!"

"Well, he _is_ a hot boy, isn't he?" Marian smiled broadly.

"Not exactly a description I apply to many boys," Rahne replied. "I mean, just look…" She hurriedly clamped her lips shut upon seeing Roberto march sourly past them, almost close enough to hear her.

"Well?" Marian cocked her head slightly.

"I hate to say this, but I guess he _is _hot," Rahne sighed.

"Heh heh heh! I knew it! Roberto admirer!"

Rahne dismissed it with a sweep of her hand, though she couldn't stop herself from smiling. Marian, she thought, was about the sort of girl who could cheer up even someone as dour as Roberto. She was indeed lucky to have Marian for a friend.

Nevertheless, as she and Marian returned to their lockers side-by-side, only one thought occupied Rahne's mind, a not-too-pleasant one.

_Permanent lab partners! _

**Rightie-right! Managed to get this chappie out a little earlier than expected. Goodie! Sorry for the delay! **

**Anyway, PLS REVIEW!!! **


	8. From Nightmare to Reality

"Now, class, I trust all of you are ready for this dissection?"

"Yes, Mr. Dawson!" Thirty voices chorused in unison.

"Good." Mr. Dawson actually smiled one of his rare smiles, before beginning to rap out orders. "Now, go and sit with your lab partners. Take a scalpel each. You'll find the rats for dissecting over there." He jerked a plump thumb towards the back of the lab. "Enjoy!"

"Ugh!" Rahne winced as she gathered her stationary and notebook from the table. "Not something I think I'm going to enjoy at all!"

"I can guess," Marian grinned.

"Firstly," Rahne went on, "although blood doesn't exactly freak me out of my wits, I'm not too fond of the sight of it. Secondly…"

"You won't enjoy your time with Roberto," Marian finished for her.

"Precisely," sighed Rahne.

"Oh, do stop being so cruel to him!" Marian said cheerfully. "Who knows, you two may even end up being best friends someday! He may not be as bad as you think. After all, I, by my amazing powers of observation, can tell that he's probably just as unhappy as you are for not being able to fit it."

"The day he and me become friends, let alone _best_ friends, will be the day I see a blue and pink dog flying," Rahne muttered, as she headed towards the table where Roberto was already sitting, with a dead rat and two scalpels.

"You can handle dissections?" he enquired, his lips thin and cold.

"Of course!" Rahne retorted. "Being a girl doesn't make me terrified of the sight of blood!"

"Mmm." Roberto sounded less than convinced, but said nothing more, as Rahne sat down opposite him, picking up and scalpel, her hands already beginning to cut the dead rat's stomach. She did not once look up at Roberto.

So intense was she in her job, that she barely noticed anything, until she thought she heard a small gasp of shock from Roberto. Raising her green eyes, she looked up enquiringly.

Only to notice Roberto gaping openly at her hands.

"What are…" she begin, annoyed, but abruptly broke off her words as she, too, looked down.

A little half-mangled squeal of horror and fright escaped her suddenly pale lips, as _reddish-brown _hair begin to sprout very slowly on her hands, the fingers seeming to merge together, as they shortened and grew fatter at the sides. Dropping the scalpel with a sharp clank on the table, Rahne automatically attempted to hide her freaky hands under the table.

Roberto let out a single, long, soft whistle.

"That's positively….freaky," he remarked, dark eyes raised. "What is going…"

"Nothing!" Rahne snapped. "It's some sort of…genetic disorder that I have. It's happened before. Just stop staring, won't you?"

"Have you ever wondered…"

"Shut up!" Rahne hissed, her green eyes warning him that no more was to be said on that particular matter. "Mention this topic again, and I'll-I'll strangle you with my bare hands!"

"If you wish," Roberto replied coolly, with an expression on his handsome face that Rahne could not quite interpret. It seemed

to the distressed Scottish girl to be a mixture of shock, surprise and an _almost_ I-know-what's-going-on look.

"I assume I'll have to take the reins on this dissecting thing now?" Roberto enquired.

"Go ahead."

Roberto picked up his own scalpel and finished off the job for Rahne, who sat still and trembling with horror in her seat. She wanted to look down at her hands again, but she didn't dare to, for fear all she would see, instead of hands, would be wolf-paws, with brown hair and claws. Under the table, her hands (or were they paws now?) shook so violently that she felt sure half the class could probably feel the tension.

Casting a glance at Roberto to ensure he wasn't looking in her direction, Rahne glanced down at what she hoped were hands again.

Hands, with normal skin and fingers and nails, lay on her lap.

A long sigh of sheer relief escaped her mouth.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Rahne demanded.

"You OK?" For once, Roberto's voice seemed almost normal, not cold and angry.

_How un-Roberto can that be? Showing concern for me? _her mind exclaimed.

"I will be," Rahne replied, forcing steadiness into her voice. "As I've said, it's happened before to me. It's just a slight…odd sort of thing in my genes."

"Hmmm." Roberto's voice was very thoughtful now. "Unusual…"

"Uhhh!" groaned Rahne, and Roberto, casting Rahne a last funny look, held his tongue.

_Could it be? _his mind wondered silently. _Could she be just like me? A…mutant? What other explanation could there be for that odd phenomena? After all, the Professor did warn me that really weird do happen to many mutants at first. _Privately, the Brazilian boy hoped that Rahne's mutant powers, if she was a mutant, didn't include the ability to read people's minds, the way the Professor and Jean Grey could. There were way too many thoughts he preferred to keep strictly private.

But if Rahne _did _have the ability to read minds, she gave no indication whatsoever of it. All that her disturbed mind was fixed on currently were her freaky hands. Unless there was something _really _wrong with her genes, as she had lied to Roberto, there was no way in the world she could be growing wolf paws. What disturbed her just as much at that moment was the expression she had beheld on Roberto's face. It had been more than just shock and surprise. There had, she had observed, been a look that almost indicated he knew, or could guess, what was occurring. Not quite something she wanted Roberto to know of. She was already having a hard enough time trying to get used to him, without having to worry about whether he knew her situation better than she did herself. And, worst of all, whether she wanted to admit it or not…

Nightmares were becoming reality.

**Sorry if this chappie looks somewhat boring, but it's a kinda last minute thing. Didn't actually plan this one; I just made a last minute decision to insert it. **

**Anyway, PLS REVIEW!!!! There are quite a number of you who put this story on Alert, so please, please, PLEASE submit at least 3-5 reviews. That would be much appreciated. Thank you! **

**Might not update again for some time; I need to concentrate on my Eragon story now, which has been left un-updated for a month or so. **


	9. Wolfsbane

Rahne stalked into her room gloomily, with a face as dark as thunder, and flung her bag down with more violence than was really necessary. At that moment, she would have decidedly swept even Marian aside, had her friend tried to console her.

"My life is getting plain ridiculous!" she shouted angrily to the ceiling, in Gaelic. "Pure ridiculous! What's going to happen to me next, I turn into an ant?"

Storming over to her desk, she sunk down onto the chair and buried her face in her hands. Right in front of that hateful Roberto had her hands turned into paws. How was she ever going to face him again? In his eyes, she was already an enemy. What _would _he see her as now? A freaky wolfish enemy?

"If this occurs again, I am SERIOUSLY going to have to consult a psychiatrist!" she snarled. "Am I already losing my mind at this young age? Or is there really something wrong with my genes?"

She jerked her chair backwards angrily, her hands tugging insistently at her red hair. Onto her bed she sank, staring bleakly at the clean, pale blue ceiling.

Something was changing. Again. She could almost feel it in every inch of her slender body. Her already fair skin paled, and her heart seemed to beat twenty times its normal rate. Trembling convulsively, she leaped off the bed, not knowing how to react.

Reddish-brown fur sprouted all over her skin, covering every inch of it. Her fingers merged together, grew shorter and ended with short, sharp claws. Her nose extended forward, so that it was soon completely visible, now black and shiny. Her ears grew longer and pointed, moving upwards so they soon rested at the top of her head. Her whole body seemed to either shrink or bend, so that Rahne soon realized she was standing on fours.

As a finishing touch, a thick, furry tail sprouted behind.

A terrifying howl loud enough to bring down the ceiling echoed throughout every corner of the house, like that of a wailing banshee. There was just no stopping it. The howl tore through her throat until it burned like fire, yet Rahne still couldn't seem to stop. There was just doubting that this was reality, no longer a mere realistic nightmare.

She was, by then, more than frantic with fear. Like an insane wolf, she tore wildly around her room, not caring that she knocked over half the objects. All that ceased her wild, insane run was a collision with the wall – right next to her mirror.

And Rahne made the worst possible mistake of looking into it.

From the depths of the mirror, a large brown wolf stared back unwinking at Rahne.

Paralyzed with shock and horror, Rahne froze utterly. Not one bit of fur moved at all.

"Humph…I could have sworn I heard a dog howling in here."

Uh-oh. Not looking good at all.

Before Rahne could regain enough senses to react, the door swung open, and there stood Mrs. Sinclair, a slight frown on her usually calm and composed features. Rahne's heart and breathing ceased altogether, and she could only manage to stare stupidly at her mother.

"Aaahh!" Mrs. Sinclair let out a squeal of fright and surprise, and backed away, her features contorted with horror now. Retreating momentarily, she snatched up a broom which leaned on the wall outside, and brandished them ferociously.

"Get out!" she thundered. "Out! No wild animals are welcome in my daughter's room! OUT!"

Rahne whimpered slightly, and slunk backwards. Her mind at that moment, fortunately human enough, was over flooded with a whole tumult of emotions, yet she managed to keep one very vital thought clear.

_I am a human! _her mind bellowed. _I am a human! This is not my body! I AM a human!!!_

Looking fierce enough to bring an entire pack of wolves down, Mrs. Sinclair advanced with her makeshift weapons.

Rahne boldly held her ground this time. _Mind over matter! _she sternly ordered herself. _You will be yourself again, no matter what! You will not give in!_

"Rahne?"

The young Scottish girl was changing again. Right before Mrs. Sinclair's horrified eyes, the peculiar wolf begin to straighten up. The fur seemed to dissipate, forming fair, clear human skin. The tail gradually shorted and vanished, and the wolfish face change to that of a human. By the time Mrs. Sinclair had remembered to breath normally, the wolf was nowhere to be seen. Instead, where it had once stood, there stood Rahne now instead.

"Oh – my – goodness!" Mrs. Sinclair seemed to be on the verge of fainting there and then. Colour drained away from her face completely, making her as white as a sheet. "Rahne…is it possible you are a…_mutant?" _

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Everything sounded like gibberish to Rahne at that moment. Tears streamed down her face, but she made no attempt to wipe them away. "Mother, what _is _happening to me? Am I turning into a freak?" Even from more than a meter away, Mrs. Sinclair could feel the tension, the utter fear in her too-pale daughter.

"No!" Mrs. Sinclair cried. Allowing the broomstick to clatter onto the ground, Mrs. Sinclair ran forth and threw her arms around her distraught daughter. "Don't ever say that again! Being a little different will never make you one!"

"How much of this do you already know?"

"Enough to wholly understand your situation." Mrs. Sinclair drew in a deep breath and let it all out. "Rahne, will you care to hear an explanation? It will not exactly be something you want to hear."

"An explanation might calm my nerves a little."

"Right. But please, don't get too frightened. You're not the only person with this…difference."

"Difference?"

"In your genes. This mutancy causes a change in your normal genes. Giving rise to a whole variety of unique powers. Some can manipulate the weather. Some can walk through walls, or move objects simply by thinking about it. Others possess great mind powers. In your case, your mutated gene has clearly given you the ability to morph into a wolf."

"No way!" Rahne burst out. "How can I keep going to school if I'm going to turn into a wolf every moment? I'll earn an unwanted reputation as some sort of monster-girl who can turn into a wolf! Why on earth do I have to be cursed with such powers? I just want to be like any normal kid." 

"Rahne, you did not choose your mutancy. It chose you. Your power is not something that can simply be undone. Besides, it's not the end of the world. You can still do everything you enjoy doing. You might even learn to like your power, once you've learned to master it instead of letting it master you."

"What?!" Rahne almost shrieked.

"Listen to me, Rahne. Your powers will only become a curse if you permit it. You currently call it so because your power is still untrained and new. But in time to come, you may come to find your power a blessing, something you can use to help others."

"You seem to have great knowledge on this topic," Rahne remarked. "Where did you learn so much of this?"

Mrs. Sinclair smiled, and did not give her daughter a direct answer. "Do not worry, Rahne. A source of aid already awaits you. If you will accept it, you'll find life much easier."

"Who, mother?" Despite herself, Rahne was obviously starting to open up, hope written all over her face.

"Ah, just you wait a little, Rahne, and you'll soon see!"

**Now, please please please REVIEW!!!!! I'm still getting way too few reviews!!! Maybe I should carry out my threat after all, and hold back from updating the next chappie until I get at least FIVE reviews!!!! **

**Come on, readers….all you have to do is click on that little purple down there, south-west, and write a sentence or two!!! Go on!!!!! If I do get five reviews soon enough, then I'll make sure the next chappie comes up more quickly!!!! **


	10. New Mutant on the Block

**Ok ok ok!!! Seven reviews??!!! Whoa!!!! Thanks, all my good ol' reviewers!!! So, up comes the new chappie now…enjoy! **

Professor Xavier rolled his wheelchair down the main hall, accompanied by two other fellow adult mutants. Logan, tall and grim and watchful every moment. And Ororo, a tall, elegant attractive young African woman of about thirty, a dark-skinned woman with beautiful, sharp dark eyes and long, white hair. Their gait and brisk manner of walking clearly indicated some sort of urgent business at hand.

"So, a new mutant on the block, eh, Charles?" Logan grunted. "Know anything about her?"

"Indeed, Logan. Her mother is somewhat acquainted with me, though I rarely see her. Her daughter, surprisingly, was very quick to accept her mutancy and even quicker to agree to come here, if it meant she could learn to harness her mutant powers."

"A new mutant, Professor?" Coincidentally, Roberto happened to be walking past them as Logan and Xavier had their little conversation. "Who's he, Professor?"

"A _she_," Xavier corrected. "Someone you're well-acquainted with, Roberto. We're on our way to fetch her now."

"Oh. What's her name?"

"You'll see, Roberto." There was the faintest look of amusement on Xavier's face as he said this, before he averted his gaze and moved on.

"Interested in her already, Roberto?" Ororo enquired. "I think I can see a certain look on your face already!"

"No, not interested in _her_," Roberto hastily replied. "Just interested in finding out _who _she is."

"Hmmm." Ororo looked less than convinced, but she no longer pursued the conversation, simply quickened her pace, her long, dark blue cloak billowing out slightly behind her tall, slender figure.

A new mutant. That sounded interesting, Roberto thought to himself. Well, whoever she was, she was lucky that she had at least the weekend to settle in – to a new mutant life.

_Is it possible that new mutant is Rahne? _his mind wondered. Recalling how her hands had changed to fury paws just the previous day, in class, a strange feeling overwhelmed him, a very strong feeling that she, without doubt, was the mutant Xavier was talking about. Nevertheless, he could not help but feel a fervent hope that it wasn't Rahne. His dislike of her had barely lessened since the day she broke his Chemistry model.

Yet, Roberto could not help but think how different Rahne was from the flirtatious Brazilian girls he had known back in Brazil. Rahne was definitely very pretty, pretty enough to leave boys' eyes glued on her, if not beautiful. And her spirit, oh! She was not like any girl Roberto had ever known. Unlike the silly frivolous girls in Brazil, who were always either too timid or too outrageous, Rahne was fiery, determined and bold – in a dangerously attractive manner. Even her irritatingly persistent manner of forever arguing with him might seem appealing in a bizarre way. Cursing himself silently, Roberto tried to banish those perilous thoughts from his annoyingly wandering mind. After all, she was still his enemy number one.

_Are you so sure of that, Mr. Roberto? _a little voice sneered mockingly.

_Oh, shut up, Mr. Conscience, _Roberto grumbled silently.

"Enjoying a little Shakespearian soliloquy?" a voice enquired. Sauntering down the corridor was Ray, a tall, skinny seventeen-year-old boy with cheeky blue eyes and spiky blonde hair. In all the time Roberto had spent at the Institute, the two boys had quickly become close friends, due to their similar temperaments: somewhat impulsive, fiery, hot-tempered. Known as "Berzerker" when the X-Men were out on missions, Ray was well-known at the Institute for loving to spark up everything and anything with a little touch of his electrokinetic powers – especially electrical appliances.

"Do stop using your too-literary terms, won't you? You may be the Literature genius around here, but unfortunately, your poor little Brazilian mate here lacks _that _much knowledge of the beautiful English language!"

"Oh dear! A thousand apologies!" Ray laughed. "Anyway, Rob," and he laid a hand on Roberto's shoulder, "what's bothering you? It's been a _very _long time since I've heard you talking to yourself!"

"Well, you know the new mutant Professor was talking about?"

"Aha."

"I have a feeling I know who she is."

"Bingo! Of course!" Ray exclaimed. "I know what malady has befallen you! You're in love!"

"What?!" Roberto exclaimed, absolutely thunderstruck. "No way! Not in a thousand years!" His face heated up, and he hurriedly averted his gaze, hoping Ray hadn't noticed.

"And I can almost visualize her!" Ray went on slyly. "Wondrously beautiful, like a fairy-tale princess. Lovely clear, flawless skin. Luscious black hair as dark as the night. Sweet, seductive blue eyes bluer than the summer sky…."

"Oh, cut it out, Ray!" Roberto retorted. "I've never cared about girls, and you know that!" Secretly, he tried to conjure an image of Ray's fantasy girl, but the only image that he could see was an image of a tall, slender and pretty, attractive girl with red hair and brilliant green eyes.

_Oh, great! _

"See?" Ray smirked. "I knew it! You have a crush on this new mutant! I can see _that _look in your eyes!"

"Yeah right! If anything, it's _you _who has a crush! On Amara!"

Ray's cheeks turned pink. "Ohhh, stop making up stories, Roberto de Costa! She's just a friend!"

"Sure. I've seen the way you and her look at each other numerous times!"

Still arguing playfully, the two boys walked on towards the main hall, engaged in a long conversation about crushes and mutants.

Only minutes later, a car rolled into the doorway outside, the sound of its engine just audible to the two mutants. Suddenly, Roberto begin to feel more nervous than he should. Muttering "I'm going back to my room" to Ray, Roberto turned and hurried back to his room.

"Hmmm." Ray raised his eyebrow, watching as his friend vanished back up the stairs. "Honestly, _what _is going on with you?"

Upstairs, Roberto was already berating himself for acting like a little kid. It was stupid, he knew, to act thus, but he could barely restrain himself. Rahne being his permanent lab partner was a nightmare already. Having to put up with her for maybe another half of his life was about a million times worse.

_Everybody down to the main hall right away. Time to meet the new mutant and make her welcome. _Xavier's telepathic voice rang out loud and clear in everyone's minds.

"Oh boy. This is going to be _so _exciting," Roberto groaned sarcastically. Even as he walked down the stairs as slowly as possible, his mind was already screaming, _Please don't let it be Rahne! Please don't let it be Rahne! Please don't let it be… _

A young girl walked into the middle of the main hall, carrying two luggage bags.

A tall, slender and pretty, attractive teen with red hair and brilliant grass-green eyes.

**Remember, readers, at least another five reviews…. Still, please be patient. I might take quite some time to put up the next chappie!!! I'm not always free to use the comp!!! **


	11. With the Disliked One

Rahne just could not believe her eyes. Or, even if she did, she simply did _not _want to. Remembering that she wasn't the only person in the room, she tried to act normal – and failed utterly. All she could do was stare at Roberto. Stared and stared until everything around him blurred, leaving only the tall, muscular Brazilian boy in sight.

_Please, please, please let me be dreaming! Ohhh…this is worse than any nightmare in the world! _

_So, this is Rahne Sinclair? _Ray thought, observing their reaction to each other. _Who else? Quite an attractive girl, I have to say! Well…looks like it's time to spark up things a little! _

Schooling his features into that of a normal, friendly boy, he walked right up to Rahne and gave her hand a warm, friendly shake.

"Hello, Rahne! Welcome to the Institute! Pleasure to meet you! Roberto has been telling me _so _much about you; what a pleasant and intelligent girl you are, and what a _fantastic_ lab partner you've been!" Ray had to work very hard to ensure his voice sounded friendly, but normal enough. Underneath it all, he wanted nothing more than to laugh his head off.

Rahne looked totally gobsmacked, as though a pie had just been flung directly at her face. Behind Ray, Roberto found his face blushing a deep, hot red. Wishing that he might burn a hole right through Ray with his eyes, he strode forward and tried to subtly push Ray out of the way.

"Ignore him, Rahne," he hastily said. "Ray tends to be a little…over-friendly with all the newcomers." Turning his head slightly, Roberto gave Ray his most ferocious glare.

In reply, Ray gazed back at him with a well-practiced expression of total innocence.

Rahne barely heard anything. With her jaw literally hanging open, she blurted out, "What are – are you a – what's going… oh!" She gave up in frustration.

"Am I a mutant?" Roberto didn't have to be a psychic to know what Rahne intended to ask him. "Well, clearly, I am, just as you obviously are!"

"So, how long have you been here?" Rahne demanded.

"Longer than you." Roberto shrugged.

"Some answer. Anyone can see that!"

Roberto was saved from having to answer by Kelly Drayton, as she descended the stairs. Despite being only fifteen years of age, she was already showing signs of great beauty, with long golden-brown hair and unusually bright blue eyes. Casting Roberto a funny look as if to say, _Be nice to the new girl,_ she walked straight up to Rahne and extended her hand.

"Hello, Rahne, and welcome to the Institute! I'm Kelly Drayton, and I'll be your roommate for this term. I assume the Professor has informed you of this?"

"Yes." Rahne gave Kelly's hand a shake, trying not to look at Roberto. "Indeed, he has. Pleasure to meet you!"

"Come." Kelly bent down and picked up one of Rahne's luggage bags. "I'll show you our room right now. Once you've gotten used to the sight of it, I'll bring you down here again. The Professor would like to introduce you to the rest of your fellow mutants here."

"Alright. Thank you." Picking up the other bag, Rahne followed Kelly up the stairs, glaring at Roberto as she walked past him.

Roberto rewarded it with a similar look.

"Ahhh!" The moment Rahne was out of earshot, Roberto let out all his anger and frustration in one long, loud sigh. "Rahne Sinclair again! Why, of all people, did the new mutant have to be _her_? Bad enough having her for my lab partner. Is it my fate to forever somehow be stuck with her for half my life?"

"Fate's being kind to you." Ray patted Roberto consolingly on the back. "So, stop grumbling, and get used to her! You two are behaving just like a pair of big babies!"

"Thanks a lot!" Roberto retorted, pushing Ray's hand away with some violence. "Why do you always _have _to mess up everything?"

"Hey, I was only trying to be helpful!" Ray protested, with mock plaintiveness.

"Some help you are!" Roberto sighed.

From the sidelines, Xavier merely looked on quietly, a slight smile on his face.

Within the span of ten minutes, Rahne was descending the stairs, behind Kelly. From his seat, Roberto looked up, more from reflex than from interest. Much to his utter annoyance, he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from her. Although Rahne couldn't exactly be described as beautiful, she was still attractive enough to keep catching his eye.

_Talk about self-control! _

He still couldn't look away. His eyes kept following her, taking in the sight of her unusual green eyes, her red hair, her slender, almost perfect body shape. With a sudden sharp intake of breath, Roberto finally realized that he had been staring at her long enough to make her aware of it. Her keen eyes locked with his, and Roberto unexpectedly found the blood rushing to his face, like a silly little boy who wanted nothing more than to get the girls' attention.

Very deliberately ignoring Roberto, Rahne strode past him, as though he was completely invisible. As she did so, her arm brushed his, very lightly, and Roberto _again _found his heart behaving very oddly.

_You're turning into nothing but a silly boy who acts as though he's completely smitten with love! _

Bit by bit, the rest of the mutants begin filling up the hall.

Making up his mind to never look upon Rahne again if he could help it, Roberto firmly turned his eyes upon something else in the room, as Rahne went up to the front to be introduced. Throughout the whole introducing session, Roberto took extra care to _not_ once look at the Scottish girl. So far, successful enough.

One by one, the mutants in the Institute introduced themselves to Rahne, who could not help but wonder how she would _ever _remember and recognize everyone else. Nearly thirty other mutants there were, she estimated. Still, a few of them stood out enough for her to permanently recognize them. Hank McCoy, or Beast, a large, hulking muscular blue-furred beast with enormous, bulging muscles, long fangs, superhuman strength and a most formidable appearance that would have scared the life out of everyone who was unaccustomed to him. Kurt Wagner, or Nightcrawler, a blue furry creature with a long tail and only three toes and fingers on each hand and foot as well as highly useful teleportation powers. Dorian Leech, the youngest recruit, a nine-year-old boy with a weird, slightly greenish face covered with warts, too-large eyes and a broad mouth who could actually nullify all energy in a localized area, including mutants' powers. And Rogue, a tall, attractive eighteen-year-old girl with a grim, stern face, dark eyes and brown shoulder-length hair streaked with white at the temple. Because of her involuntary ability to absorb anyone's abilities, powers and memories via skin-to-skin contact, she had to permanently cover up her entire body to avoid rendering everyone unconscious every time she touched them.

Seeing the look on Rahne's face, Kelly leaned in to whisper, "Don't worry. You'll learn to recognize everyone soon enough."

Being near enough to hear this, Ray leaned over to his left slightly to whisper to Roberto, "Although I highly doubt she can ever fail to recognize _you. _Slight exception here."

"Oh, quit that!" Roberto hissed, giving the blonde American en elbow in the side.

By then, the other mutants were already starting to crowd around Rahne, with the intention of talking to her, finding out more. Relieved, Roberto instantly made up his mind to bail. Rising to his feet, he headed off towards the stairs.

"Going off so soon?" Ray enquired slyly.

"I'm certainly not going to stay here one moment longer than I need to!" Roberto retorted. "The sooner I'm off, the better!"

"Oh, come on!" Ray coaxed him, taking Roberto's arm and steering him back towards the others. "Don't make yourself look like the so-obvious odd one out! Be nice!"

"Well, _what _do you expect me to do or say? Go straight up to her and give her a hug as though she's the only person in the world that matters to me? Or would you prefer me to give her a sickly sweet smile that just, just…renders everyone else sick?"

"All you have to do is go up to her and say a simple "Welcome", or something. If you do that," and here, Ray gave a broad, mischievous grin, "I'll stop teasing you about her day and night! Will that do? You'll be _extremely _surprised at my kindness!"

"Promise?" Roberto sighed, with exasperation.

"I give you my most solemn word."

"You'd better mean it."

"I'm not a liar."

"Fine." Drawing in as much as his lungs could take, Roberto marched right up to Rahne, and waited for an opportunity to speak. Around the new girl, the older teenage mutants were talking endlessly to her, as though they had been acquainted all their lives. It felt rather weird and idiotic doing this; the moment he set his eyes on her, the world around him seemed to shrivel up, leaving behind only the two of them. All that remained in focus was Rahne, the decidedly most stubborn, fiery, strong-willed in the entire school. Well, whatever it was, he had better get over it quickly now, before she started inspiring too many sensual imaginations in his mind again.

"Rahne?" Roberto begin, awkwardly, with no warmth in his voice.

She turned to face him, eyes raised.

"Welcome to the Institute," he forced himself to utter.

"Thank you," Rahne responded, somewhat stiffly. She looked as though she couldn't have disbelieved anyone's words more.

"Mmm. Now, if you will excuse me…" Roberto muttered stupidly, as though Rahne's company was something he had to pay special respect to. Turning his back on her, he hurriedly fled up the stairs before Ray could stop him and attempt to further push him into some sort of boy-girl relationship with the girl he disliked most.

And, most importantly, before he could get too tangled up with this girl who stirred up the wildest imaginations in him, against his will, and sparked off the most fiery, passionate flame within.

**Sorry, guys, really sorry. I know this chappie is probably the worst chappie so far… but I had a slight author's block, and so I ended up producing this really, really crappy chappie. So sorry!!! **

**Just to keep your interest in this story, I'll be a bit of a spoiler, and let you guys know that from the next chappie on, I'm going to start developing their love relationship. Bits of fluff will be included. **

**Just to let you guys know, Kelly doesn't appear in the animated series, I just kinda borrowed her character from one of the X-Men movies (I didn't know her name, so I made up one; I thought her mutant powers were pretty cool) **

**Oh, and I've actually written up chappie 12 & 13 already, but I won't post chappie 12 until I reach a total of 45 reviews. (so, a minimum of 6 reviews now, please!!!) So, guys, PLEASE review!!! My stories are all open for non-members to review as well, so, don't worry if you don't have an account! Feel free to review!!!! That would be much appreciated!!! Thanks. **

**And sorry again for this boring, un-interesting chappie!!! Next one will be better, I promise! **


	12. Mysterious Letter

Scott walked right up to the mailbox in the front of the garden, frowning a little as he did so. A letter from the postman? Surprising. Letters _so _rarely came in those days. _Who _could the letter be for this time?

Opening the top of the red mailbox, Scott picked out the white envelope, reading the name written on the outside.

_Roberto de Costa. _

A letter from Brazil.

"For Roberto. Hmmm…unusual. He himself mentioned he no longer keeps in touch with his old acquaintances back there," Scott mused to himself.

He returned to the mansion and immediately gave the letter to Roberto.

"A letter for me?" Roberto raised his eyes in surprise. "All the way from Brazil? Wow." His tone went suddenly flat and sarcastic. "Thanks anyway, Scott."

Scott nodded, and departed, so that Roberto could read the letter in peace alone.

"A letter from Estevao?" Roberto raised his dark eyebrows in surprise, as he saw the contents of the letter all written in Spanish, by his father's servant. "Funny…why should he suddenly write to me? Something doesn't seem right about this…"

Retreating to a quiet corner in his room where he was unlikely to be disturbed, he sat down to read it.

Seconds turned to minutes, and the minutes turned into almost an hour. Still Roberto stared at the letter, eyes fixed on it as though nothing else in the world was worth looking at.

_No, no, no!!!! This can't be real! It must be a lie! What's happening? Something like this can't occur! No, no, no! _

_No, _a little voice whispered in the back of his head. _No. Not a lie. You know Estevao never lies. He's been like your father since your mother died. He wouldn't make up a story like that! _

There was absolutely nothing in the world he could do now. His heart seemed to cease beating, and he felt distinctly light, as though he was curiously floating up above. Perhaps, for all he knew, he no longer existed in this world. Only when he heard distant footsteps did he suddenly regain his senses. Still too horrified to know what was going on around him, he blindly stood up and headed to the door, the letter falling unknowingly onto the floor.

"Hey Rob!" Ray unexpectedly popped his head round the door, with his usual cheerful grin. "What's up? Do you want to come and….hey! What's up with that look?"

"Leave me," Roberto muttered, sounding as though he was speaking to a wall.

"Rob, are you OK?" Ray asked concernedly. "You look so…pale and upset. What has…"

"I SAID, LEAVE ME!!!" Roberto exploded, clenching his fists so tightly that Ray could even see them turning white. "Go away, and tell everyone to leave me alone! Just go!"

Stunned by the look of sheer, unholy fury and rage on Roberto's face, Ray flinched backwards, his mouth dropping with shock. He had seen Roberto angry once or twice, but Roberto had never been _this _furious. The boy's dark eyes were now blazing more fiercely than fire, his face paler than death as he stormed down the stairs and towards the main door.

_What on earth? _

Retreating to the room they shared, Ray noticed a bit of white paper lying on the ground, with neatly-written words on them. A letter, no doubt.

But how could a mere letter send Roberto into such a rage?

"Ray, what on earth is going on?" It was Kelly this time, looking confused and astonished as she peeked into the room. "I just passed Roberto by the stairway, and, golly, he looked as though he wanted to tear down the whole mansion! What's gotten into him?"

"I don't know. Can you interpret this for me?" Ray, looking equally confused and shocked, held out the letter to Kelly. "It's Roberto's letter, I think. Written out in Spanish."

Kelly nodded, and curiously scrutinized the letter. Her mutant abilities, the envy of many others, enabled her to not only make words appear anywhere she liked, by simply passing her hand over the surface, but also to understand and speak any language you could think of, no matter how rare or foreign.

As she read on and on, a frown formed on her pretty face, before her skin turned pale altogether.

"What's the matter?" Ray asked anxiously. "Kelly?"

"Ray, we'd better pass this letter to the Professor to read. I think it may concern Roberto's future life seriously!"

**Sorry for a late update, readers!!! Been too busy recently...sigh...**

**Anyway, same thing, guys. I won't update until I reach a total of 50 reviews!!!! (and I really mean it!!!) No 5 reviews, no chappie 12... **

**Come on, you know you want to review... According to the stats, there are always tens of people reading this!!!! Why is it so hard sometimes just to get 5 or more reviews???!!! As I've said before, my stories are all open for even NON-MEMBERS to review no!!!! So, please feel free to REVIEW, member of FF or not!!! **

** Tq!  
**


	13. Shocking News

"Professor! Professor!"

"Kelly, calm yourself down." As usual, Xavier didn't sound in the least bit worried. "And yes, I _do _have a slight clue as to what's happened. Please show me that letter."

With a shaking hand, Kelly handed the paper to Xavier, who took but a brief look at it before returning it to her, his expression extremely grave and sombre.

"What does it say?" Ray demanded.

Trying to regulate her breathing, Kelly begin to translate:

_Dear Roberto, _

_It is I, your father's servant Estevao. Please pardon me for giving you such horrifying news, but it is something you must know._

_Mr. de Costa, your father, is apparently going to be married to a Miss Ysabel within a week or so. Although this bit of news was just known to me very recently, it seems they had been engaged to each other even before you left Brazil. Why Mr. de Costa should have kept it a secret for so long, I do not know. _

_Roberto, your father seems to have lost his mind, ever since he informed us servants of his upcoming wedding. His thoughts, day and night, dwell solely on his bride-to-be, so that he seems to walk in another world with Miss Ysabel altogether. It is as though no-one in this world exists but him and his fiancé. From whatever I can see, he seems to think he has found your late mother in her. He does not even want you, his only child, to know of this sudden upcoming wedding. In fact, it was with great risk that I wrote this letter to you, in secrecy. Therefore, I pray you, make no attempt to reply this letter. _

_Forgive me for striking such horror into your heart, but, Roberto, you need to know this: your father has made the very abrupt decision to leave Brazil for another country right away after the wedding within the week. Where to, none of us servants know. Mr. de Costa will leave no forwarding address, nor will he tell us what has driven him to this absurd, shocking decision. We do not even know which continent he desires to leave for. All we know is that we servants now have to evacuate this house permanently. We tried to persuade him to hold off this shocking decision, but he nearly turned violent, and warned us not to cross him in this matter. Thus, I do not know what is to become of you now. Your father may well be gone by the time this letter reaches you in America. _

_I did try to convince your father that he has you to think of, that you desperately need his love, but he simply laughed, and uttered, "Love! Don't be such a fool, Estevao! I don't think that's what Roberto ever had in mind! The only love I can now give to any human is my beloved bride-to-be! Don't ever mention Roberto's name to me again! I never want to hear of him ever! I've got a new life to move on to, and so does he!" _

_For this, Roberto, I am truly sorry. As a mere servant with little money, there is little I can do for you at this point. I can only hope that your aunt and uncle will be kind enough to let you live with them until your father decides to change his ridiculous, heartless decision, and make contact with you again. Do not be too despaired. People say hope is always found in the most unlikely of places. Perhaps someday, your father will learn to see the real worth and goodness in you, and take you back again. Whatever happens after this, Roberto, always remember that you'll never be alone. Somewhere, or someday in your life, you'll find love again. _

_I wish you all the best now, Roberto. Farewell! Perchance our paths may cross again someday! _

_Yours truly,_

_Estevao _

"What?!" Ray exclaimed, shocked out of his wits completely. "That can't be…no! It must be a lie, or stupid joke! How could Rob's dad do that?! Professor, please say this is some sort of idiotic lie!" He looked up at Xavier desperately.

Xavier shook his bald head gravely. "To say so would be a lie itself, Ray. No, this is not just some joke or lie. It's real. I fear Roberto might have lost his father forever."

"What _kind _of father could he be?" Kelly cried. "I mean, what kind of father could…could just run off to some unknown country, forget his only child, and deny him altogether? Has he lost his mind?"

"Or maybe this Ysabel is some sort of mutant like us, and has used her powers to control Rob's dad's mind?" Ray suggested.

"No." Xavier shook his head gravely. "This is entirely Mr. de Costa's own decision, to vanish altogether from Brazil. Ysabel influenced him in this, but she had no control over his mind, the way I might control someone else's mind. He's aware of what he's doing, and he made his own choice."

"Then what are we going to do?" Ray enquired anxiously. "Kelly and I just bumped into Roberto minutes ago, and he looked furious enough to attack us both, had we crossed him. What now? How can we help?"

"By staying out of this for a while." Xavier's tone of voice and expression forbid either mutant from asking further questions. "Tackle Roberto now, and you two may end up in a very…dangerous situation. You already know what he's like when he's in a foul mood. When he's calmed down, I'll handle him myself. Do not attempt to deal with him right now, unless you want several bruises."

"Alright," Ray said, in a shaky tone, as he and Kelly retired from the room unhappily. "Well, Professor, we do hope that you'll find a way round this. Gosh! Poor Roberto! What's going to happen to him now?"

Neither of them noticed how Xavier gave a small, mysterious and almost knowing smile as they left.

**Humph! Don't know why I'm being so kind, updating when I was still waiting for at least another one or two reviews!!! **

**Anyway, readers, if you want a fast update, PLEASE REVIEW!!!! I'll have to be crueller this time (sorry to everyone who already **_**has **_**been reviewing non-stop), which means I really ****WON'T ****update until I hit 54-55 reviews! I mean it!!! Come on, all you have to do is hit that little purple button down there, and write a few words! **

**A million thanks to LetsMakeBiscuits7, Abbs of the faeries and Crystal, who've been reviewing nearly all the time!!! And yes, a huge thank you too, to ALL my other reviewers! Please keep reviewing!!! **


	14. Sudden Change of Heart

**Sorry for a late update, readers!!! I really wanted to update once I got five reviews, but unfortunately, time has been very much against me. Been getting much more work and tests than I thought was possible. Ah… Anyway, enjoy! **

Roberto flung himself down onto the ground, not caring in the least that a sudden chilly wind arose and blew against his face, ruffling his dark hair slightly. He barely even felt the cold; all he could feel at that moment was the emptiness, the great devoid in his broken heart.

_Oh, my father never even loved me! How could he just vanish and leave me all alone? What kind of father was he ever? What's to become of me now? _

He could not even cry or shed a single tear, he realized. All he could do was sit and stare at the sky, as though it could provide the unanswered questions. He had already passed that point, so far now that he could scarcely even feel despair or sorrow. The world, to him, was blank, empty, devoid; he was nothing more than a helpless pawn in cruel fate.

And he was, in a way, an orphan now, with a dead mother and a missing father who had never loved him.

A twig cracked behind him, startling Roberto considerably. Jerking up at once, Roberto whirled around to see who it was.

Only to see Rahne standing about three meters away from him.

"Go away," he muttered, in a barely audible voice. His heart was already so pained and empty that even rage was an emotion he could no longer feel, despite the fact that it was Rahne who now stood before him.

"Roberto?" Rahne nearly shivered at the look in his eyes. In them was an expression she had never seen before; a look of utter despair, pain and sorrow. An emptiness so great that it was as though he had no more emotions left in his heart at all.

"I said, go away," Roberto repeated. His voice was flat, resigned, without a trace of emotion, though his eyes said otherwise. "Go away and leave me."

"Roberto, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." _Ah, how could I have been so blind to his pain all this while? Since when have I ever been so cruel? _

"If you're sorry, go away." Roberto stared directly at Rahne, yet his empty eyes seemed to see nothing. "I don't need pity from anyone. Least of all from _you_."

"I'm not here to give you pity." Rahne knelt down cautiously by him, laying a hand on his quivering shoulder. "It wouldn't be of much help now."

"Then go away, and leave me."

"I can't. If I did that, I'd be far crueler than what I've already been. Roberto, please listen to me. I know how you're feeling; I can almost imagine what it's like to be abandoned so cruelly. But, as Estevao said in his letter, you'll never be alone. We may never replace your true family, but we can still help you. Please. Don't shut yourself out to us. We would never do to you what your father already has."

Roberto averted his face, eyes shut tightly. A tear trickled from his eye, but he hastily wiped it away. There was no way he could show Rahne his weakness, his sorrow.

"Roberto? Please. Let us help you."

Emotion returned to his blank heart like a great, unstoppable flood. A sob escaped his lips, but he could no longer help himself. A few months ago, he would have scoffed at the idea of displaying such emotions in front of Rahne. Now, it no longer seemed to matter. Even if a million people had been there at that moment, it would have made little difference. Such patience and gentleness was not something he had ever experienced before, and certainly not something he could resist. There were just too many tumultuous emotions within, clouding his usual judgment. Sobs racking his body, he turned in towards Rahne, buried his face in her chest, and allowed himself to weep out all his pain, his despair, his sorrow.

Rahne was shocked right to the core. She had never before seen a person undergoing such distress, and naturally had no idea whatsoever how to console him.

_How on earth am I to comfort him? _

Taking a deep breath, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders awkwardly, stroking his hair gently. "There, there," she murmured, feeling stupider than ever. "Cry all you need. There's no-one else here."

It seemed impossible, and yet, possible to contain that many tears. Roberto sobbed on for several minutes, shedding so many tears that Rahne soon felt she would no longer have to wash her shirt. His whole body shook, and it seemed there was no stopping it.

"I'm so sorry, Roberto," Rahne sighed, nearly as distressed as him, even as his sobbing finally ended. "Can you ever forgive me for being so cruel to you? I mean…I, uh…"

She broke off as Roberto looked up at her, his eyes wet and tear-stained. For the first time, he looked at her with an expression that could only be termed tender, and the tiniest of smiles spread across his face.

"I forgive you, Rahne."

Rahne sighed with relief, smiling an uncontrollable smile. It was most peculiar, she thought, how quickly an enmity could be ended, by the simplest act of kindness or forgiveness. Even if her enemy, or rather, ex-enemy, was Roberto de Costa.

"Come, Rob. Shall we return to the mansion now? I think the Professor would like a word with you, if that's fine."

Roberto rose to his feet, wiping his face on his sleeve. Hope shone dimly in his eyes.

"Rahne?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you." Even those two simple words seemed to be filled with surprising warmth. It seemed to Rahne that Roberto was already a new person altogether.

The Scottish girl smiled warmly in reply, unable to speak.

"Come on then, Rahne." Roberto extended a hand to Rahne, and Rahne took it, hoping Roberto couldn't see the blush on her face. His hand was warm and smooth, and Rahne felt a strange pleasure at the touch of it.

"Let's go back."

**OK, guys, end of chappie. PLEASE REVIEW!!! **

**Same old thing, I won't update until I hit at least 60 reviews!!!! **


	15. Training Session

Twenty or so mutants lounged around in the garden of the mansion cheerfully, deciding to make full use of their free time before Logan came along and sent them into work mode.

Amongst them was Rahne as well, laughing and chatting with her friend Amara, a pretty, brown-haired, brown-eyed girl, and Kelly, her roommate. Although she had made the decision to watch the mutants train for the first time, Xavier had advised her not to join them yet, until she had full mastery over her powers.

"Psst! Rahne!" Amara hissed suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Don't look too much to your left, but I think Roberto's checking you out!"

"Yeah right," Rahne muttered, rolling her eyes. Determined to prove her friend wrong, she turned her head slightly.

Only to notice Roberto's dark eyes fixed intently on her, as though she was the only person worth looking at, even the midst of so many other pretty girls.

_Oh man! How could she be right? I've never cared for boys' attention! _

"Lucky you, Rahne!" Kelly giggled. "You've got the attention of the handsomest boy in school! What's the secret of getting _his _attention? As far as we're concerned, Roberto has never cared for girls, no matter how beautiful they are!"

"I never tried to attract his attention," Rahne protested. "You should know I've never cared for boys."

"Oh, come one! You must have a secret!" Kelly goaded. "Roberto never turns his attention to any girl, unless they've done something really effective to seduce him!"

"_Seduce _him? I've done nothing, believe me." _No way can I tell anyone how I once held him in my arms, no, not in a million years! I'm not going to have anyone thinking we're lovers! _Personally, Rahne wondered if that was the only topic American girls could think about, boyfriends and teenage romance.

"Come on, Rahne, tell us…"

"Oh, shut up!" Rahne groaned, exasperated. "Is the only thing you can talk about boys?"

"Sorry," Amara giggled.

_Some people! _

"Hello, Rahne." Unexpectedly, Roberto sidled up to Rahne shyly. "You've come to join us today?"

"Not exactly." Rahne blushed slightly, and deliberately stared down at her shoes. "The Professor told me not to have any serious training yet until I can fully master my powers. I'm just here to see what the training sessions are like."

"Fun," Roberto smiled.

"Come on, Sunspot! You're up now!"

_Sunspot? So, that's his alias! A most apt one! _

Suddenly looking somewhat self-conscious, Roberto stood up, determined not to flop the training and make himself look like a fool in front of the girl who, despite the odds, seemed to be the person who now understood him best.

_Come on now, Roberto! Don't be such a fool! So what if you do make a mistake? Everyone's bound to! Why should you care if you look silly in front of Rahne? _

He positioned himself in the sunniest area on the lawn and shut his eyes, absorbing the sunrays into his body. Ah! How good it felt! At that moment, he felt invincible, strong, undefeatable.

"Flame on, Rob!" Ray called encouragingly.

Roberto didn't have to be told. As the energy reached its peak within him, flames engulfed his body, startling Rahne momentarily. Laughing aloud with pleasure, Roberto took off into the sky, flying as freely as a bird.

"Good work, Sunspot." Logan's face held the tiniest hint of a smile, a rare sight from him. "Iceman, you're up next!"

Roberto landed neatly and gracefully on the ground, grinning at Ray, who held a thumb up, grinning back at his friend. Rahne, still sitting on the log, watched them silently. It was funny, she thought, how a little act of kindness could go so far. Although barely a week had passed, Roberto seemed a new person altogether, no longer the cold, grim boy she had once known, but a far more cheerful, warm person.

"May I sit here?" A boy's voice spoke, tentatively.

Rahne didn't even have to look up to know who was speaking.

"Go ahead," she replied, edging away slightly, trying not to make it obvious.

Roberto sat, half a meter away from the Scots girl. Neither he nor her looked sideways, but kept their eyes on the ground, as though they expected to see wonders there. A little further away, Kelly and Amara gave each other a little look which carried a great deal of meaning, and back away. Let Roberto and Rahne have their own privacy for a while.

"You've got remarkable control over your powers," Rahne begin after a while, discomforted by the awkward silence between them. "I remember when I first started training, they nearly went havoc. Goodness! That really frightened me!"

"You'll get used to them. The first time my mutancy showed up, I completely freaked out, and thought I was turning into some sort of monster!"

Silence reined again, punctuated only by the sounds of the other mutants laughing and calling out to their buddies.

And neither Roberto nor Rahne seemed to realize it when Roberto's hand crept out slowly towards Rahne, and fastened itself around her hand.

**OK, guys, remember, I won't update till I hit at least 67 reviews!!! Same thing applies for an update! **


	16. Control your Emotions

Rahne pushed the door open and entered the Professor's room quietly, offering a greeting to him and Ororo, who were sitting down waiting patiently for her.

"Are you ready for this, Rahne?" Xavier enquired. "You've been training privately with me for nearly a month now; I think you should be ready to join the other mutants soon. As long as you can control your emotions."

"That's not too difficult for me." Rahne sounded slightly puzzled.

"So you think." Xavier had to work hard to hide an expression of amusement. "As is always the case, easier said than done. You may, in fact, find it harder than you think. But come, I suggest you show me what you can do, instead of just listening to me talk."

Rahne nodded, and focused hard on her powers. Thank goodness the Professor was so patient, she thought. According to him, Rahne was one of those rare mutants whose powers, for some reason, were slightly driven by emotions. Should she feel too much, she could end up turning into a wolf in public, when she least expected it. Fortunately, the connection between power and emotion, according to Xavier, was not permanent, and would eventually disappear.

She shut her eyes and pictured herself as a wolf, running freely through the forest, hindered by nothing. Before she knew it, she was a wolf once again, standing before Xavier and Ororo.

"Well done, Rahne." Xavier smiled approvingly. "That's the way to do it." He turned to Ororo, exchanging a few telepathic words with her, mind-to-mind.

"Well, Rahne, it looks like you're ready to join the other mutants for their training session."

"Really?"

"Indeed. You've proved yourself well, Rahne. Now, go, and tell Logan about it. You might have missed today's session, so go for it tomorrow."

"Thank you, Professor!" Rahne beamed proudly, and scooted off.

Xavier's timing was incredibly accurate, it seemed. As Rahne hurried down the stairs, she was just in time to see the other mutants rushing in, still clad in their training outfits.

"Great, I just missed it," Rahne sighed, as she rushed to find Logan.

"Done well, kid," was his only response, after hearing her out.

Used to his grim, silent nature, Rahne nodded thanks, and fled to her favourite part of the garden, where she could be alone for a moment.

"Rahne? Now that there's just you and I, why don't you demonstrate your power for me? I wouldn't mind seeing it."

Rahne whirled around at once, and came close enough to blushing upon seeing Roberto standing just several feet behind her. Not for the first time, she noticed how handsome he was, with his warm dark eyes, tanned, smooth skin and strong, well-formed features. What would it be like, she wondered, if Roberto would…

"Wow. That's awesome! I never realized anyone could morph into a wolf like _that_."

Without even realizing it, Rahne was already changing into her other self. Well, well, well. Talk about controlling her emotions, she thought belatedly. How could she even _imagine _such a thought?

"OK, that's done," Rahne announced, as she hurriedly shifted back into human form. "Now, why don't you return the favour, and show my _your _powers instead?"

"You've already seen it."

"Well, show me again."

"As you wish." Flaming on with the help of the sun, Roberto merrily took off into the sky.

"I wonder what it would be like to fly," Rahne mused, as Roberto landed besides her. "To be soaring above the ground, with the wind blowing in your face, that must be amazing."

"Hmmm. Really?" Roberto edged closer to her, and slipped a tentative arm around her waist. Rahne's cheeks immediately heated up at a dangerous speed, as she felt his strong, warm arm around her.

"Roberto…what are…"

"It's somewhat hard to explain the joy of flight. So, you'll have to experience it for yourself." With that, Roberto slipped his other arm around Rahne's shoulders, and unexpectedly took off into the air.

"AAAHHH!" Rahne let out a squeal of shock. "Roberto, couldn't you at least warn me?"

"I did! Too bad you weren't paying attention, apparently!"

Trying to regulate her breathing, Rahne clutched onto Roberto's arms firmly, hoping he knew what he was doing, and that his powers had nothing to do with his emotions.

"Fun, eh?" Roberto chuckled mischievously.

"I suppose so!" Rahne gasped. "In a bizarre way! Rob, put me down! I didn't ask for such a wild ride!"

"Girls!" Roberto grumbled, landing on the ground with the grace of a ballerina. "Never able to take a bit of fun without chickening out!"

"Huh!"

"Not that I can include you in that statement," Roberto hastily added. "I have to admit you're very different from the other girls I've met."

"OK. What's that supposed to mean?" Rahne demanded.

"You're the most stubborn and strong-willed girl I've ever met. Satisfied with that explanation?"

Rahne blushed furiously, and glared at Roberto.

"Satisfied, but unhappy. Is that meant to be a compliment? Or a plain insult?"

"Guess for yourself!" With that, Roberto promptly took off, grinning a most wicked grin.

"Whatever!" Immediately, Rahne took off after him, wondering since when they had been so friendly with each other.

Laughing, Roberto raced back to the mansion, with Rahne running after him in hot pursuit.

_Oh, life here is going to be so fun! _

**See, readers? Since I got more than 5 reviews previously, I therefore updated as fast as I could!! So, same, thing applies. You want to see the next chappie fast, then all you have to do is REVIEW until I get at least 73 reviews!!! Then the next chappie will be up at top speed. In fact, I've already written quite a bit of chappie 17, but I won't post it until I get at least 5 reviews!!! Oh, and sorry for having to keep saying this, but it's seriously the only way to make you guys REVIEW!!! Anyway, thanks to everyone who's been reviewing already!!!! I appreciate all your reviews very much!!! **


	17. Blossoming Romance

**OK, guys, here comes my fav chappie! Enjoy! **

**Warning: There's gonna be a lot more fluff than before, and this chappie's a lot longer than the previous ones. **

Winter came, and, with it, a sudden cold blast which brought a chilly, unwanted wind, mercilessly blowing the browning leaves off their barks and branches.

"Come on kids! Nothing like a little training session to warm you all up!"

Groaning and grumbling at the thought of having to train in such cold weather, the annoyed-looking mutants pulled on endless sweaters and jumpers over their outfits, and forced themselves to move slowly down the stairs.

"Haah. Mutants during winter," sighed Logan, as he watched the young mutants train extremely slowly and dully."_What_ am I supposed to do with them?"

"Offer them incentives." This time, it was Hank who spoke, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously. "And I know _just _how to handle them!"

Standing in their midst, in a spot where all attention would be drawn to him, he called out, loud and clear, "If you train with extra vigour today, you'll all be off from training for the next two days! Weather forecast has shown that tomorrow and the day after will be awfully cold. Will that do?"

Roars of delight proved to be a sufficient answer.

"Hah hah hah! I always knew you kids just _have _to have something to get you working! Come, Logan. You can get back to the mansion and take a break. I think I'd better return as well, and see if Charles will approve of my surprise reward. Cannonball, you're up next, so get ready now."

Samuel Guthrie, a blonde-haired, brown-eyed boy from Kentucky, nodded, and waited for both Logan and Hank to be out of sight, before he propelled himself into the air, laughing aloud with glee.

"Huh. Show-off," Ray muttered.

"OK, Samuel, I think that's enough!" Bobby yelled out eventually. "You'd better get down here before you smash into someone!"

Focusing with all his might, Samuel tried his utter hardest to control his powers, as he attempted to land smoothly on the ground without knocking anyone over, as he had a tendency to do while landing.

And failed.

With a yell of shock, Rahne found herself flying backwards many meters at a furious pace, before landing in the large swimming-pool, where the mutants usually worked out during summer.

"Aaarrrggghhh!" Bobby groaned aloud, smacking his forehead. "Samuel! Do _you _want to fall into a pool during winter and see how cold it is?"

"Rahne, I'm sorry!" Samuel gasped out, as he finally regained stability.

"Look!" Amara shouted, pointing at the pool urgently. "Do you think she's…."

"Drowning?" Bobby gasped.

There was no doubt about it. If there was anything Rahne feared, it was water. As a young girl, she had once come so close to drowning in a pool that she had to be sent to the hospital for urgent treatment. Had she remained in the pool for just a minute longer, she would probably have died, according to the doctor who had treated her.

Terror now seized Rahne again, and she begin to struggle wildly, kicking and gasping for air as she sunk bit by bit. She forced herself to remember her old swimming-coach's advice, but to no avail, and she only succeeded in sinking further.

"Roberto! Help me!" she screamed, at the top of her lungs. Under ordinary circumstances, she would have yelled out for

Amara or Kelly, her two closest friends, but this time, circumstances were different.

"Ahhh!!! Couldn't you have chosen another time to push her in?" Roberto grumbled at Samuel, as he stripped of his sweater, and kicked his shoes off, shivering with the dreadful cold. Trying to keep his mind only on rescuing Rahne, he raced forward, and dove in neatly, thankful that his life-saving skills were undoubtly going to be _very_ handy.

The moment he landed, the icy-cold water hit him with full force, nearly paralyzing him temporarily. From the sides of the pool, the others gasped with terror as Rahne continued to sink deeper and deeper, her struggling becoming weaker and weaker.

"Roberto! Help me!"

Rahne's cry of despair and terror fortunately succeeded in wrenching Roberto back to the present. Brushing his wet hair out of his eyes, he swam strongly towards Rahne, desperately trying to remember all his life-saving skills.

"Rahne!" he shouted, reaching out to grip her arm. "Rahne! Listen to me! I'm here! Stop struggling, and stay calm! Let me help you!"

Her only response was to struggle even more fiercely than before.

"Rahne! Stop struggling! Otherwise I can't get you out of here!"

Gasping, choking for air, Rahne turned her face just enough for Roberto to catch a glimpse of her eyes. They were filled with utter terror and fear, and showed no signs of being aware of anything around her.

"OK, pardon me, Rahne," Roberto said, loudly. "I'm going to have to do something most ungentlemanly, so please pardon me!" With that, he raised his left hand, and brought it down swiftly onto Rahne's face. A red mark immediately blossomed across her deathly pale face, indicating he had exerted far more force than he had originally intended. Still, it served its purpose, for the shock of it instantly brought Rahne back.

"Now, Rahne, just relax, and stop struggling. You'll be out in a minute."

Her green eyes wide with fear and shock, Rahne nodded mutely, her arms instinctively clutching Roberto tightly.

Despite his best efforts, it seemed to take Roberto forever just to get Rahne to the side of the pool. Murmuring with relief and shock alike, willing hands immediately hauled Rahne to dry land, where she kneeled gasping and spluttering as Roberto clambered over next to her.

"I'm alright. I'm fine," Rahne choked, trying to dismiss the others, for she hated too much attention.

"If you want to be of help, run back to her room and heat it up. Get ready a thick blanket, and some hot water." Efficient as ever, Roberto hurriedly took control of the situation.

"Come on, Amara." In a flash, Kelly was on her feet, charging back to the mansion with a few other mutants.

"Better get you to a safe spot, before you fall in again," Roberto murmured to Rahne, slinging his sweater over his shoulder before bending down to pick Rahne up in his arms. "Rahne, are you OK?"

"I will be," she gasped, clinging on to his neck as though she was still in the pool.

"There, there." Carefully, Roberto laid Rahne down onto the ground under a tree, wrapping his sweater around her upper body, resisting the temptation to put it on himself instead. "Breathe deeply, Rahne."

"It's so cold," she muttered, apparently not hearing him.

"Then imagine yourself sitting by a nice, warm fire." Cautiously, Roberto edged in closer to her, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

Sighing softly, Rahne clutched the front of his shirt with her free hand, leaning against his chest for warmth.

_OK. Is it wrong for me to want to never break this moment? _

"Ooooh. Sweet," Ray muttered. "Come on, guys, let them have their privacy." This was said in an undertone, but it was enough to make the others depart, not without a grin and glance or two.

"Come on, Rahne. I'd better get you back to your room, before you get pneumonia."

"I can walk, you know," she protested mildly, as Roberto made to lift her up again. To prove it, she tried to rise to her feet without support, only to half-collapse again, her legs feeling like jelly.

"Sure. I can see that." Placing one hand under her knees, the other on her back, Roberto lifted her up again, and carried her all the way back to the mansion.

To Rahne's utmost surprise, she no longer felt cold and frightened. Instead, she felt reasonably warm, and even safe. Wrapping her arms around Roberto's neck, she rested her head against his shoulder and sighed softly, shutting her eyes contentedly.

_Tee hee! Enjoying every bit of this, eh, Roberto? What a chance for you to play hero! _

_Oh, shut up! _Roberto mentally snapped back at the little voice in the back of his mind. _What else could I have done? Left her to drown? _

Again, Roberto felt a tinge of unfamiliar reluctance to release Rahne from his arms when they finally reached Rahne's room. Inside, Kelly and Amara were already waiting with a chair, blanket and a cup of steaming water.

"You're such a good friend, Roberto," Kelly smiled, as the Brazilian carried Rahne right to the chair.

"And not to mention, a great rescuer," Amara grinned, wrapping the blanket around Rahne.

"Um, believe me, it wasn't something I predicted would happen," Roberto muttered awkwardly, wishing Amara and Kelly a hundred miles away. "And neither did I ask for it. And now, if you will please excuse me, I think I'd better return to my own room."

"Go ahead, then."

Half-running, half-walking over to the door, Roberto dared to take a last look backwards at Rahne, the girl _he _had saved, before vanishing.

"I wouldn't mind half-drowning, if it meant Roberto would come after me," Amara sighed. "I mean, he's _so _handsome! I wonder how many girlfriends he has back in Brazil."

"Amara! Cut it out!" Rahne abruptly snapped.

"Alright, alright." Amara back away towards the door. "Well, I think it would be better for me to scoot. You'll want some silence to help you recover."

"Ignore her, Rahne," Kelly advised, after Amara had departed. "The more you retaliate, the more she'll tease you about Roberto. And if that goes on, I think she won't be the only one soon enough."

"Thanks, Kelly," Rahne muttered sarcastically.

A knock sounded on the door, and Rahne sighed. She fervently hoped, privately, that it wasn't Hank or Logan, demanding to know whether she was fine or not.

"It's me, Samuel. Can I come in, Rahne?"

"Yes. Go ahead."

"Rahne, I'm so sorry!" Samuel blurted out, flushing furiously. "What happened back there, I – I didn't mean to push you in. I'm really sorry. Had I known you can't swim, I would never have…"

"Apology accepted, Samuel." No-one could possibly stay angry with the sweet, though somewhat klutzy boy for too long. "Trust me, it wasn't that bad, I guess, coming to think of it."

"Because you had a chance to be saved by the cutest boy in the Institute," Kelly muttered. Then, aloud, she added, "Samuel, can I talk to you for a while about that Science project?"

"Sure. If it's fine to leave Rahne alone."

"Oh, I'll definitely be fine!" Rahne hastily interjected.

"Sure?"

"Sure."

"Alright, then. Call us if you need anything." With that, Kelly and Samuel were gone.

Phew! Now, she finally could pay Roberto a little visit without being teased endlessly about it. Unwrapping the blanket from her shoulders, she pulled Roberto's sweater off from them and headed off to his room.

Hoping no-one would come along, Rahne knocked quietly on the door.

"Yes?" The door opened to admit Roberto – without a shirt on.

"Oh. Sorry," Rahne muttered, backing away at once, feeling a blush on her face. She had to work very hard to ensure she didn't stare for too long at his bare chest.

"Oh, that's OK. In the name of modesty, Roberto grabbed a shirt from the rack near the door and held it to his chest. "You, um, wanted to see me?"

"I've still got your sweater." Feeling like the world's greatest fool, Rahne held it out to him.

"Oh, that. Thanks." Roberto accepted it gratefully, and tossed the dripping wet garment onto the floor next to him. "I think that'll require quite a bit of drying before I can wear it again."

"Definitely. Roberto?"

"Mmm?"

"Thanks for saving me. I wonder how I could have _just _remembered to thank you. You did save my life."

"You're welcome. Anyhow, someone else would have done it, even I hadn't. Oh dear! Looks like I really did slap you too hard after all. Sorry about that."

"Huh?"

"Sorry," Roberto repeated. Unable to tear his eyes away from her pale face, Roberto fixed his gaze stubbornly on the light red mark on Rahne's left cheek.

"Don't you worry. It's not torturing me."

Without even realizing what he was doing, Roberto's hand came out to her face, his fingers touching the red mark gingerly, though tenderly. Rahne shivered slightly, and froze. Still, Roberto's gentle fingers lingered on there, stroking her cheek as though his fingers had somehow been magnetized to her face.

Rahne's own hand came up to meet his.

He was pulling Rahne closer to him. Before Rahne knew what was going on, their faces were so close that anyone who passed by might mistake them for lovers in some romantic movie. His lips, too, were perilously close to hers, and Rahne found herself terribly giddy, as though she had just been pulled out of the pool.

"Rahne." Roberto's voice sounded strangely distant and dreamy, and Rahne just could not formulate a reply.

Feeling as though they were floating in another world altogether, Rahne's free hand came up to Roberto's face, and stayed there, taking in the feel of his smooth, warm skin. Roberto sighed, and pulled Rahne still closer, until his lips were almost directly against hers.

"Roberto…"

The sound of faint footsteps was enough to break that perilous moment, to make them both jerk back. Startled and embarrassed beyond measure, they both whirled round simultaneously, only to catch sight of Ray standing just a few feet away from them.

Ray let out a long, slow whistle.

"Did I just stumble across…"

"RAY!!!"

"OK, OK, guys, I'm going! Forget you ever saw me here!"

"Sorry about that." Roberto winced sheepishly, no longer looking at Rahne in the eye. "I'm afraid Ray tends to be a little…"

"Snoopy?"

"If you want to call him that, yes."

"Anyhow," Rahne added quickly, no longer in the mood for any 'romance', "I think I hear Kelly calling me. I'll see you again Roberto."

"See you, Rahne."

Rahne fled at once, never looking back once to see Roberto's eyes still fixed on her.

**Like the chappie, readers? I hope it's got enough fluff to satisfy you all, even if the romantic bit was kinda a last-minute decision.  
**

**OK, anyway, remember, guys, I won't update till I get 5 reviews!!! That is, when I hit 78 reviews!!!  
**


	18. Girl in the Dream

"_Come back here, you little beast! Come back now, or else I'll take him straightway without any mercy!" _

_Rahne ran on through the forest non-stop, in wolf form. There was already no telling how long she had been running thus. Her lungs almost seemed to burst inside her chest, her heart thudded ten times faster, and even her legs nearly gave way under her._

"_Come back here now, you little wolf!" _

_Unable to keep up the running, Rahne sank down onto the ground with exhaustion, morphing back into human form. Her chest heaved heavily within, her hands clammy and cold with sweat. _

_Worst of all, she was alone. _

"_What's going on here?" _

_Rahne looked up at once, and was greeted by the sight of a young teen girl she had never seen before. A tall, slender girl of stunning beauty, with long, lustrous hair as dark as night and unusually bright, piercing blue eyes. _

"_Who are you?" Rahne gasped. _

"_Anna Whitestar. What's happening?" _

_Rahne shivered as Anna's eyes bore right into hers. In them was an intensity so fierce, so frightening that Rahne felt as though Anna was trying to suck the life right out of her. Goodness! Rahne hurriedly looked away wisely, wishing that Anna would tear her gaze away. _

_As Rahne opened her mouth to speak, she became gradually aware that something was not quite right. Looking upwards, Rahne screamed as another head seemed to grow out of Anna's neck. The head of a beast so terrifying that even Hank's frightening appearance paled in comparison to this. _

"_It's over, Rahne! Give it up! He's mine now, and nothing can change that!" _

"_NOOO! LEAVE HIM AND ME ALONE!" _

"Rahne, Rahne! Calm down! You're safe now!"

Somebody was shaking her shoulders violently. Sweating and gasping with fear, Rahne forced herself to breathe normally, as she felt someone holding her firmly but gently.

"Wh – what?"

"Hush, Rahne. It was just a dream."

The voice sounded incredibly familiar, even in the pitch dark.

"Roberto?"

"Shhh, Rahne. I'm here." Gently, Roberto stroked Rahne's hair, hugging her to him tightly.

"Where am I?" Rahne muttered, gradually becoming aware that she wasn't in her bedroom.

"In the corridor. It seems your nightmare must have been extremely real to you. Even from my bedroom, I could hear you screaming out. By the time I came out to investigate, you were already lying here."

"Oh gosh. Out in the _corridor_?" Rahne sighed and buried her face in Roberto's chest. "What's happening to me? I've never experienced something like this before."

"You'll have to ask the Professor. I can't answer such…mind-boggling questions. Come, Rahne. You'd better get back to bed now."

Still shivering, Rahne rose slowly to her feet, clinging onto Roberto's arm for support.

"I'm scared, Roberto." Rahne's voice sounded like that of a little child. "Dreams like that have never come to me. I mean, I've had a nightmare on two in the past, years ago, but never something that could have caused me to actually jump out of my bed. Oh…what's happening to me?"

"Talk to the Professor in the morning," Roberto advised her. "Perhaps it's a…slight psychological thing. May be nothing serious at all, for all we know. Come. We' better get you back to your room." Roberto took Rahne's arm and promptly steered her back to her bedroom.

"Goodnight, Rahne. Have, um…sweet dreams," Roberto whispered quietly, as Rahne clambered back onto her bed, burrowing under the covers for warmth.

"Sweet dreams. Yeah," Rahne muttered.

"Don't worry, Rahne. If anything happens, you can always yell for Kelly. Or me."

"What are you going to do, sleep in here tonight?"

"No!" Roberto gasped, remembering to keep his voice low. "That would spark off an unspeakable outrage if I was found sleeping in here!"

"I know. I was only joking. Goodnight, then, Roberto. And thank you."

"Goodnight, Rahne." Roberto bent down and touched his lips to her forehead gently. "Sleep well, and remember that I'm near enough, always."

_I know that, dear friend. _Smiling silently to herself, Rahne shut her eyes, and waited for sleep to claim her, as Roberto tiptoed out of the room.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wakey-wake, all of you! Don't greet the new girl with such drowsiness!"

A new girl? Well, that seemed interesting enough. Covering a yawn or two, the class sat up eagerly.

"I only hope this new girl isn't as obnoxious as the other kids," Rahne muttered, stifling a yawn. The previous night had not been too kind to her, and Rahne, as a result, had taken ages to fall asleep.

"Ah well." Next to her, Roberto rolled his dark eyes. "No telling yet. She could be anyone or anything."

The new girl stepped into the class demurely.

"Class, meet Anna Whitestar, your new classmate…"

_Anna Whitestar? Wait…doesn't that name sound familiar? _

Rahne's jaw dropped as…

The girl in her dream stepped forth.

**Apologies, dear readers, for the very long delay. For some weird reason, I've been having a lot of difficulties, so it really did take me quite some time to update. Whoops! Sorry! **

**Anyway, bad news; my holidays will be over in two days, so I may take quite some time to update again, as I highly doubt I can write a good chappie in just 2 days. So, please be patient, and sorry again for the delays!!! Whatever it is, please be kind and REVIEW!!! Tq! **


	19. Attractions

The lunch bell finally rang, sending hoards of students and teachers rushing towards the school canteen, where luscious-looking food awaited them. Side-by-side, Roberto and Rahne hurried along with the others, determined to catch the food before the other hungry students grabbed everything in sight.

"Excuse me, Roberto, but could you please tell me where I can get hot food from?"

Roberto turned to see the speaker, and immediately felt a _very _strange tinge of unexplainable emotions as he saw the beautiful Anna Whitestar standing besides him, a charming smile on her face.

"It's over there." Roberto pointed a thumb at another counter on the left, wishing that Anna had chosen someone else to ask.

"Oh, thank you." Anna gave Roberto a smile that would have charmed birds down from a tree, and left, tossing her dark hair slightly.

"Humph. She really does think the world of herself, doesn't she?" Rahne muttered with disgust.

"I don't know," Roberto grinned. "I'm not a very astute judge of people's personalities. That's just me."

The two of them bought their food and chose a spot to sit down, just by themselves. As they were quietly consuming their food, footsteps sounded near them, and then Anna was standing there besides them, with a bowl of hot soup in her hands. Rahne sighed softly, and looked away. Couldn't Anna leave them alone for even forty minutes?

"Hello again, guys. Hope you don't mind me sitting here." Before either of them had a chance to reply, Anna was already seating herself on the bench, right next to Roberto.

"Personally, I don't see why you bothered to ask to join us if you were going to do it anyway," Rahne muttered to herself.

"So, Roberto, how's everything going with you?" Anna enquired sweetly.

"Fine."

"As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to be in your Biology class, you two," Anna said. "What a comforting thought, to know that I'm going to have at least two friends there."

_Friends? Is that really a term you're going to apply to us when this is only the first time we've ever spoken to each other? _

"So, Roberto, do we have to work in partners for our Biology, when we do dissections and experiments?" Anna enquired. "I mean, I am new here, so I naturally don't want to have to work alone, if it can be helped."

"Well," Roberto begin, "yes, we do have to work in pairs whilst doing practical work, or else, we work on our own."

"Well, then," Anna said hesitantly, like a shy little girl, "do you think it would be possible for me to work with _you_, Roberto? Please?" She gave him that smile again, a smile so sickly-sweet that Roberto had to work very hard not to grimace at the sight of it.

"Sorry, Anna, but Rahne is already my lab partner," Roberto replied politely. "And we're not allowed to change our lab partners at all. Teacher's decision. Sorry."

"Oh, but won't he or she allow just a little change, for a new girl?" Anna pleaded. She sounded exactly like a spoiled kid pestering a grown-up for something.

"I'm sorry, Anna, but such matters are not in my hands to tackle. Anyway, I can't possibly dump Rahne like that. That would be terribly mean of me."

"What a pity," Anna sighed. Unabashed, she reached out and clasped Roberto's hand in hers. "You seem like such a nice boy, Roberto. Very much the type of boy who can attract the attention of absolutely any girl. Isn't it, Rahne? You two seem rather…close."

Only one thought ran through Rahne's head at that moment.

_Oh my gosh! Surely this weirdo girl isn't becoming attracted already to Roberto?! I seriously hope my nightmare was nothing more than just a ridiculous dream, otherwise it could spell trouble! Very, very deep, serious trouble. _

Equally shocked at such an outrageous, brash statement, Roberto could only gape at Anna momentarily, before he remembered to pull his hand away from hers. Goodness! What a girl! Was that the way she always behaved with boys? If it was really so, as seemed obvious enough, Roberto certainly didn't want to deal with her one moment longer. Muttering an 'excuse me', Roberto hastily rose to his feet, and grabbed Rahne by the arm.

"Come one!" he urged her. "Surely you can't have forgotten already that we _must_ complete that bit of Calculus homework by today? Otherwise we'll both lose our heads! Come, Rahne!" Leaving behind their food dishes, both of them fled.

"Huh!" Anna snorted. "As if they really do want to do homework during lunch!"

Smoothing her hair back from her fair forehead, Anna scrutinized the gradually vanishing figures of Roberto and Rahne. Rahne was pretty, no doubt about that, although she couldn't exactly be termed beautiful. Still, pretty as she was, how could Roberto prefer her over Anna? Anna the beautiful, Anna the sweet.

"I'm not going to tolerate this!" she told herself sternly. "No matter what it takes, I'm going to have Roberto! Even if it's Rahne he prefers."

To Anna, Roberto was undoubtedly the handsomest boy in the school, even if was a foreign boy, judging by his features and accent. From the moment she had set her eyes on him during their English class, she had decided that even the cutest boy in her previous school could hardly be compared to Roberto, with his lean, muscular body, neat dark hair and warm dark eyes. It was hardly a surprise that Rahne liked Roberto so much. Even if he did harbour affections for Rahne, a pretty obvious situation, it hardly mattered at all. Their affection definitely wouldn't last long, not if Anna inserted a _little _drama into their relationship.

And Anna _always _got what she wanted.

Always.

**Yup, yup, everyone, I decided it was time to twist the plot slightly, and add in some drama and conflicts. I've always hated flat, too-straightforward stories, so I'm gonna be a little naughty naughty now…**

**5 reviews at least, guys… **


	20. A Very Unlucky Rahne

Rahne fiddled through her desk frantically, in an unsuccessful attempt to find her English textbook. It was most peculiar; she thought, for it had most certainly been in there just the previous day. How could it have vanished in just a day, when Rahne hadn't even removed it from its place?

"Having trouble, Rahne?" Mrs. Lake enquired coldly. "Or are you simply trying to find a gold nugget in there?"

"I can't seem to find my textbook," Rahne muttered, embarrassed.

"Just like you, Rahne, to always lose something!" Mrs. Lake mocked. "Goodness, _what _am I to do with you?"

"Um, excuse me, Mrs. Lake?" Roberto ventured boldly from his place next to Rahne, "but what you said about Rahne isn't true at all. This is the first time she's ever lost a book."

From her place, Anna smiled to herself. It now seemed beyond obvious that Roberto harboured feelings for Rahne. Why else would he bother to stick up for her, when it was common knowledge throughout the entire school that Mrs. Lake had a reputation for being the most bad-tempered teacher in Bayville High?

As it was, things already didn't look too good for Roberto. Mrs. Lake, angered by his boldness, was giving him a particular look which suggested nothing less than trouble.

"Mr. Roberto de Costa, nobody asked you for your opinion!"

Anna promptly leaped into action. Putting on her sweetest, most charming smile, she said politely, "Mrs. Lake, please don't be too harsh on him. It's not his fault, after all, that Rahne is so careless, and is always losing her things."

"Anna!" Roberto glared at her in a rage. "I don't think anyone could say anything falser than that! Rahne isn't one bit careless! Anyone can lose anything anytime!"

"Oh." Anna's expression at that moment was far too hard to interpret, as she gave Roberto a most peculiar look. It made him shiver, for she almost seemed to be penetrating right into his mind with those chilly blue eyes of hers.

"Enough now." Mrs. Lake rapped sharply on the desk with her ruler. "I'm not going to waste this precious hour discussing carelessness. Roberto, share your book with Rahne for today. Rahne, I'll give you until Thursday to find your book. If not, you can always buy a new one. Unless you'd rather go to detention?"

Despite her inward rage, Rahne wisely held her tongue, fighting viciously against a might desire to bite back with some sharp retort.

At precisely three o'clock, the warning bell thankfully rang, sending the entire class running out with books and pencil cases, eager to head home. Hoping that Anna would make no effort to chase him down, Roberto left in a great hurry, with Rahne by his side. Their relief could hardly be described when Anna stopped to have a little chat with Harry, a dark-haired, blue-eyed boy who had been "officially" named the second most handsome boy in Bayville High after Roberto, according to a secret poll taken by a bunch of silly, frivolous girls.

"Whew!" Roberto blew out his cheeks with sheer relief. "What a girl! Before you and I know it, she'll be in total control of the school, what with all that sickly charming, sweet smile and nature!"

"I don't like her one bit," Rahne agreed.

"Because of that nightmarish dream you had?"

"Not exactly. After all, the Professor advised me not to discriminate her yet, just because I had some ridiculous dream about her. Nevertheless, I _have _been advised to be on my guard, and report anything funny to him."

"Right."

Side-by-side, they headed back to their lockers. Along the way, several girls who were known to harbour secret affections for Roberto cast the Brazilian not a few flirtatious, seductive glances, only to be ignored. Roberto had never cared for girls like them.

"Oh my goodness!" The next moment, Rahne was gasping out loud, her hands flying to her mouth. "My locker!"

"What?" Alarmed by the tone of her voice, Roberto was by her side in a flash. "Rahne, what's….oh my gosh!!!"

Both of them could only freeze at the sight of Rahne's locker, now damaged beyond repair. The door swung feebly on one hinge alone, bent and half-broken. In addition to that, vulgar swear words had been sprayed in red paint all over it.

And, worst of all, Rahne's locker was almost completely empty.

"My books!" Rahne cried out in dismay. "Oh my….no, no, no!"

Frantically, desperately, she fished through whatever was left inside, trying not to cry in front of Roberto.

"My Physics project!" she cried, horrified beyond measure. "It took me nearly two months to complete it! And it's due this Friday! What am I to do? I can't finish it in just two or three days! And my books… oh my gosh! They're all gone!"

"Who could have done something so terrible?" Roberto exclaimed, laying a protective hand on Rahne's shoulder. "This is – this is absolutely unthinkable! What maniac could have done something like this?"

"I don't know." Rahne's lips trembled, and the next moment, before Roberto knew what was going on, Rahne had flung herself into his arms, crying quietly. Though she sobbed quietly with almost no sound, a skill she had learned long ago, it required only half a minute for Roberto to realize his shirt was becoming more and more soaked with tears.

_I'll seriously kill whoever's done this! _Roberto's furious mind raged.

"What am I going to do?" Rahne sobbed. "I can't possibly buy so many new books again; I'm not a rich girl. Oh gosh, I wish I had never made use of my locker at all!"

"There, there. Don't take it too hard, Rahne, we'll find a way out of this," Roberto murmured softly, stroking her hair gently with one hand, his free arm wrapped around her shaking shoulders. Even if a hundred people had been watching them, he couldn't care less. It was only fortunate that her locker was located in the most isolated area, where people very rarely hung out, thus giving them both some privacy. "Perhaps there's an empty locker somewhere. Shall we go and talk to Mr. Dean?"

"Alright," Rahne muttered, sounding as though she didn't agree one bit.

"So, a damaged locker, eh?" Mr. Dean said, raising his eyes as Roberto gave an explanation of everything. At Roberto's side, Rahne stood silently, trying her hardest to hide her wet face and red eyes. "Wow. You must really have a lovely enemy, Rahne." He made no effort to move.

"Please, Mr. Dean. Couldn't you at least take a look at the situation and see what can be done?" Roberto begin, annoyed at Mr. Dean's light attitude. "Rahne's very upset about it; she's lost nearly all her books, and an important Physics project. It wouldn't be one bit fair to simply let the culprit off!"

"Anyone would think _you _were in charge of this situation instead of me," Mr. Dean sighed, rising from his desk. "Very well, then, but I can't guarantee success."

As ever before, Mr. Dean showed no signs of any emotion whatsoever upon seeing the ruined locker. He merely raised his eyes and remarked coldly, "Well, well, well, you obvious have an enemy who truly hates you, Rahne. Do you know who it might be?"

"No," came the reply. "I'm not exactly Miss Popular, but I don't think I'm Miss Unpopular either. As far as I know, I've no _real _enemy who hates me that much."

"Then I'm afraid I can't do anything for now," Mr. Dean said. "I can't possibly go round accusing every single person who hangs out around this area. Anyone could have done this. And unless you or Roberto can pinpoint a suspect, there's nothing I can do for the moment."

"Then what am I to do?" Rahne cried desperately. "Nearly all my books are gone, and now I don't even have a locker!"

"About the locker matter, locker 100 is empty. You're lucky the former occupant has moved out of Bayville High. Use that one. About the book matter, you'll have to deal with it yourself. Don't expect me to buy you new books."

"But, Mr. Dean…"

"No buts!" he snapped. "I'm only your Head of Year, Rahne. I'm not going to come to the rescue in the way you expect. Lose your books, you can buy new ones yourself."

"Buy _ten _new books?" Rahne groaned with horror.

"You'll have to, Rahne. What else?" Giving Rahne a stern, cold gaze, Mr. Dean turned his back on them and stalked back to his office as though ruined lockers and missing books was only as bad as getting a very, very mild headache.

"I could seriously wring his neck off!" Roberto snarled, glaring at Mr. Dean with inimical ferocity. "What kind of Head of Year is he? One who's there to simply enjoy his position and boss the students around like servants?"

"I guess I should be grateful for a locker, at least," Rahne mumbled. "Perhaps I was asking for too much of Mr. Dean."

"Of course not!" Roberto slipped an arm around her, drawing her close to him. "Don't even think that! You barely asked anything of him at all! Anyhow, you have the right to _demand _for aid from him. If he refuses, he should forget that he's actually our Head of Year."

"I suppose, then, I shall just have to rake out a huge amount of money to buy all those books again," Rahne murmured. "Ah, one like me can never seem to stop getting into some scrap of mishap."

"Don't worry, Rahne. It isn't the end of the world. Perhaps I can try and hunt down some old books which you can borrow for the year, if that's fine with you."

"Certainly. And thank you for sticking up for me, Roberto. You're the best and loyalest friend I've ever had." With a sad little smile on her face, Rahne towards him and startled Roberto by giving him a quick little kiss on the cheek, sending Roberto into a fit of trembling inside.

"Come, Rahne." Roberto reached out and took her hand in his. "Let's get back to the Institute first. The Professor, I'm sure, will be more than willing to help you out."

"Thank goodness for him. Let's go, then." Rahne gathered up the remnants of her books and stuffed them into her bag.

But, even as the two friends headed down the corridor together and then to the waiting-area, only one though occupied their troubled minds.

_Who could have done that? _

And, just as importantly, _why_?

**Yay!!! I finally found time to update again!!! Sorry for the delay, been too busy as usual.**

**Same thing, guys, no 5 reviews, no update...**


	21. Extreme Discomfort

Rahne fervently hoped that Anna Whitestar would decide not to come to school that Thursday. Ever since Xavier had told her and her fellow mutants the truth about Anna, Rahne had realized in split seconds that Anna was most certainly not someone she wanted to cross.

A mutant. Surprising, yet not surprising either. It had taken Xavier, in fact, quite some time to detect Anna's mutancy with Cerebro's aid, despite the fact that Anna lived pretty close to Bayville High.

"Her mutant powers are dangerous, very dangerous," Xavier had warned everyone. "The only reason why I took so long to detect her mutancy was because she had actually altered her brainwaves, making detection of her mutancy very difficult."

"Altered her brainwaves?"

"Yes. In addition to that, Anna is also able to alter and manipulate her internal biological system in any way she likes. This means that she can change the way she looks, the way she grows, and even the way her biological processes function. This includes altering her brainwaves, which can make it extremely hard for even the best telepaths to locate her mentally. Unfortunately, her ability to control and manipulate brainwaves extends to humans as well, even if she cannot alter _their _biological systems. Very fortunately, extensive research has shown that her mind control only works on humans. Once a mutant is aware of her powers, he or she can somehow automatically block out her control over his or her brainwaves, due to the differences between the brainwaves of a human, and that of a mutant. Nevertheless, I want you all to beware of her. Keep away from her as much as you can, and do not anger her. I have yet to find out how strong her powers are. Whatever it is, do not let her know that we already know about her mutancy."

"Are you going to deal with her yourself, then?" Rahne had asked.

"Not yet. As much as we suspect her, we have no concrete proof yet that she's responsible for the ruin of your locker and theft of your books. I have tried searching her mind telepathically with Cerebro's aid, but to no avail. Her ability to manipulate her brainwaves is making everything much harder; for all I know, she could have altered her own brainwaves so that even if she was the one responsible for the wreck, memories of it would have been erased altogether. Or she could have done it in such a way that she'll be the only one who can still access that memory part of her mind."

"A highly dangerous mutant," Roberto had mused.

"Indeed so. Beware, all of you, especially Rahne and Roberto. Keep away from her as much as you can."

A mutant. Rahne sighed aloud for the third time as she unlocked her locker door and shoved several books into it. How pleasant could things get? Never in all her life had Rahne felt so discomforted.

"Hello, Rahne."

"Oh, hi, Roberto." Rahne gave him a shy smile, as her friend moved to stand besides her, his hands busily handling a lock and several books all at the same time. "Finished up that bit of Calculus work yet?"

"Yep." Roberto didn't say much, as he busily engaged himself with opening his locker door, shoving a few books into it. "Hey! Swing your locker door inwards! Otherwise I'll have insufficient space for mine!"

Rahne chuckled, knowing Roberto was merely teasing her.

"I suggest you wait for me to finish handling mine first!"

"Oh, you really think I'd do that, eh?" Roberto said, in a mocking voice.

"If you don't, I'll have to force you to do so."

That statement merely succeeded in producing a mild little tussle. Much to Rahne's discomfort, the end result was that she ended up half-pinned to the wall, with Roberto perilously close to her.

"Roberto…" Rahne began, turning her face away so he couldn't see her furious blush, as memories of their first near kiss flooded her mind. Once again, she felt more than grateful that their lockers were in the most secluded area around.

"Come on, we'd better go. I'm sure I heard the bell ring," Rahne muttered.

"Fine. Let's go, then, before someone sees us fooling around like babies." Roberto took Rahne's hand and pulled her into a steadier position. His hand was warm and gentle, and made Rahne want to scream at the fact that every touch of his only brought back more embarrassing memories of their almost-kiss.

"I'm seriously hoping," Rahne began, as they headed to their Calculus class together, "that Anna will decide…"

"Decide what?" a sickly sweet voice chimed. There was no need for either Rahne or Roberto to look up to know who was speaking.

"She was just hoping that you would come up with another brilliant essay later on, during English," Roberto hastily put in, upon seeing Rahne at a loss for words. "After all, you do write very well."

"Oh, thank you." Anna fixed her gaze intently on Roberto, who tried his hardest not to reveal any emotions. "I'm glad Rahne likes my essays so much. Roberto, would you like to have a read of one of them?"

"No thank you. I'm sure we'll all get a chance to hear it during English."

"Very well, then. Roberto, I was just wondering, would you like to join me for lunch later? I've got a few very interesting stories to share with you."

_I would never join you, even if you were to offer me a thousand pounds. _"No thank you," he replied aloud. "I've other work to do, I'm afraid. But thank you for the offer."

"Humph." Like a spoiled little child, Anna pushed out her lower lip, before turning away on her heels and stalking down the corridor until she finally out of sight.

"Phew!" Roberto sighed, blowing out his cheeks. "Won't she ever leave us alone for once?"

"Lovers, lovers! Roberto and Rahne sitting on a tree…"

Stunned and horrified, the duo turned around simultaneously to see a younger boy of about eleven years of age directly behind them.

"What are you…"

"Boyfriend and girlfriend!" the boy mocked. "How passionate! How sweet! How romantic! Do I hear wedding bells ringing?"

"Shut up!" Rahne hissed furiously, her face burning like coals.

"Ha ha! Roberto and Rahne are lovers! Roberto and Rahne are lovers!"

People stopped dead in their tracks to stare at the outrageous young boy, before turning their gazes to Rahne and Roberto. Embarrassed and furious beyond description, Roberto started towards the cheeky youngster, but he agilely dodged out of the way.

"Roberto and Rahne are lovers!"

"I said, shut up!" Rahne snarled. "What do you think you are?"

"It's not everyday that I get to see such love! Roberto and Rahne are lovers…"

"That's enough!" Roberto's fiery temper flared up dangerously, and he raised a fist unthinkingly. "Shut your mouth, or I'll shut it for you!"

"Try it!" the boy mocked infuriatingly.

"Roberto." Not wanting her friend to face serious consequences, Rahne lowered his fist for him. "Leave him. Come on. Let's go."

"Lovers, lovers!" the boy sang on, merrily and loudly.

"Idiot," Roberto muttered to himself. "Wait until I lay my hands on him! He'll seriously get such a thrashing that he'll regret ever saying such stupid things!"

"I thought I'd only get to see such romance in the movies!" the boy sneered. "Well, apparently, I'm wrong! If only I had my video camera with me right now. Come on, you two! Give each other a kiss to show the world how much you two love each other!"

Neither Rahne nor Roberto could bear to hear a word more. Giving the boy their most inimical, poisonous glare, the duo stalked down the corridor at a furious pace, forcing themselves to block out the sound of the boy's silly, loud laughter.

However, had they looked back, they might _just _have seen a most peculiar smile on Anna's face…

**Yes, I know it's a late update, but then, just to let you know for the last time, each chappie will probably end up taking the same amount to be updated. Got too much work, as usual…ah….**

**Thanks a million to all my dear old reviewers, especially Abbs of the faeries, imissmycupcake, kioyuki oniga, marvelgirl09, Hoot-owl and ****Rynx- Too- Genki**** for all your reviews!!! You guys rock!!!  
**

**Anyway, if you want a fast update, then please REVIEW!!! There are plenty of people reading each chappie, and plenty of you who've put the story on Alerts, so if you're reading this, please REVIEW!!! Once I hit a total of 100 reviews (whoot!), I promise you, I'll make it a point to put up the next chappie a little faster then I did to this. If not, you'll just have to wait longer….**

**SO GO AHEAD AND PRESS THAT LITTLE PURPLE BUTTON DOWN THERE!!! **


	22. Anti Mutants

Xavier moaned, and tossed and turned in his bed uneasily as the visions and nightmares plagued him ceaselessly.

"Ahhh…stop it, stop it," he muttered, half-insensibly. "Stop…we haven't done anything…..ahhh!"

With a gasp of shock, he suddenly jerked upright in bed, groaning with pain as the movement put a little too much strain on his crippled back. Sweat poured down his brow, and he had to wipe it away with a sleeve. His breath and heartbeat were still too rapid, despite the fact that he had already calmed down partially.

Dream or vision, whatever it was, it was far from pleasant. In it, tens of humans, at the least, had gathered in the hallway of Bayville High, and were shouting curses at a blurry-faced person who was undoubtedly a girl, judging by the figure and body shape. Whoever it was, Xavier immediately had had a strange feeling that the girl was one of his own students. He would know them anywhere, anytime.

"Is this going to happen, or what?" Xavier muttered to himself. "Visions like this so seldom come to me. What's going on? Is this a vision of the future, or simply a vision of what _might _happen?"

Turning his head to the left, he took a look at the small clock on the desk. Five o'clock in the morning. Clearly far too early to speak to anyone. When the mutants awoke again, he would have to address them all. Such visions could not be taken lightly.

Xavier leaned his head back on the pillow and waited for sleep to claim him.

* * *

"So, do you think what the Professor saw hours ago was just a trick of the mind? Or a real vision of the future?" Roberto enquired, as he and Rahne headed down to the main hall of Bayville High together.

"I have a bad feeling it's a vision of the future," Rahne replied seriously. "I highly doubt such a powerful telepath like the Professor…"

"Could receive useless visions in the middle of the night," Roberto completed. "Indeed. So I thought too. Well, if that's the case, I think we'd better make ourselves as invisible as possible. The less attention we draw to ourselves, the better."

"I only hope Marian won't turn against me, along with the others," Rahne murmured.

"Who can tell? Is she returning to school today?"

"Not today. Tomorrow, or the day after. She just sent me a phone message yesterday to tell me that her whooping cough has ended at last."

"That could either be bad or good, depending on the situation," Roberto replied.

Trying to keep a low profile, Roberto and Rahne sneaked silently into the hall and seated themselves discreetly at the furthermost left corner, ready for the usual weekly assembly.

"Mutant, mutant!"

"Uh-oh!" Rahne muttered.

"Perfect!" Roberto groaned, muttering a curse or two under his breath, in his own language. "Rahne, I think we'd better…"

"There she is!" someone roared abruptly, pointing an accusatory finger directly at Rahne. "The mutant freak!"

"What…" Rahne began, more than outraged.

"Mutant freak!" roared the girl, her eyes blazing more fiercely than fire. "Don't you dare lie to us! We all know what you truly are!"

"We don't need mutant freaks here!" another girl shouted. "Get out! OUT!!!"

"Stop it!" Rahne snapped. "I've done nothing to any of you! _What _are you all harping on?"

"Mutant, mutant!" chorused half the school. "Leave at once! We don't need freaks like you in our beautiful school! Get out!"

"Cut it out, all of you!" Roberto shouted, trying to make himself heard above the din. "She's done nothing wrong! Leave her alone!"

"Rotten freak!" a girl screamed, loud and high. "I could swear _she _was the one who stole my book that day, so that I couldn't study anything for my Chemistry test!"

"Stop it!" Rahne shouted furiously. "I've done nothing, I swear! Leave me alone!"

"Horrible freak!" a boy cursed. "Filthy slut! You're not worth being called a girl at all! Why don't you just go to a brothel, and…"

"Enough!" Roberto shouted in a tremendous rage, loud enough to bring down the roof on all of them. "Shut up, all of you! She's no different to you all! Whoever's being spreading false rumours and lies about her is nothing but a liar and slanderer! Why can't you just leave her alone?"

The boy who had just called Rahne a "slut" strode forward in reply, and raised a fist, clearly with the intent of bringing it down on Rahne. However, Roberto had learned to move fast and discreetly, and before the boy could strike Rahne, Roberto had positioned himself between the boy and Rahne, his own hand lashing out at top speed and knocking the boy's fist away.

"Lay a hand on her, and I'll make you wish you were mute!" Roberto thundered.

"What's going on here?" A new boomed throughout the hall like a bomb, ferocious enough to silence the furious students momentarily. "This is a formal assembly hall, not a demonstration hall where everyone can vent out their anger on something! What's happening, huh?"

"Principal Kelly!" Roberto groaned with dismay. Everyone in Bayville High knew the principal well enough: a stern, fierce bespectacled man who had an intense loathing of all mutants. "Great! Could this day get any better?"

Already, as it was, several boys and girls were crowding around the principal, barking out the "seriousness" of the situation; that having a mutant freak amongst them was more than enough to send the _entire_ country rioting.

"A mutant, eh?" Principal Kelly's deep voice rose to a highly dangerous note. "Where's that brat? Tell me, and I'll…"

Rahne and Roberto had no intention whatsoever of hearing anything more. Grabbing each other's hand, they sneaked to the back of the hall discreetly and swiftly, and exited through a partially hidden side door.

Within minutes, they were both no longer sighted in Bayville High.

**There, see? I finally hit 100 reviews, so I've updated! Tah!**

**Sorry to my loyal reviewers who keep reviewing regularly, but, same thing. It seems to be a highly effective way of getting reviews, so I'm afraid I won't update till I hit 105 reviews at least! **

**Everyone, by the way, is welcome to review, anonymous or signed! That means you're free to review always, even if you don't have a FF account. **

**So, go ahead and REVIEW please!!!! **


	23. False Friend, True Companion

**Yes, guys, I'm BACK!!!! Tests over, so I've finally found time to put up this chappie. **

If anything, it immediately became public news amongst the mutants of the Institute that Rahne alone, during the course of that fateful day, was the only mutant singled out to be yelled and cursed at. What could be made of that, none of the recruits knew, or dared to guess.

Yet, this nevertheless proved to be no excuse for Rahne to skip school the following day. Xavier, in his usual efficient and secretive manner, had promised to deal with everything, without revealing his plan to Rahne. What he did was as good as anyone's guess, for he adamantly refused to say anything about his plan to anyone.

"You go on to school as usual, Rahne. You cannot keep hiding from the world forever. I will deal with everything, I promise."

"Was someone responsible for this attack on me?" Rahne wanted to know. "I mean, doesn't it come across as a most peculiar thing that I was the only one whom everyone yelled at, for being a mutant?"

"I think, Rahne, that for the moment, the less you ask, and the less you know, the better, until I can find out who's really behind all this. I _do _have suspicious about who might have done everything, but I have yet to find concrete proof. And until I find such proof, we cannot accuse anyone. Now, off you go to school, and don't worry. I've handled everything for you. Just remember to still be careful nonetheless, and lie low for a while."

Rahne had no other choice but to obey.

Everything seemed to be in relative order, Rahne decided, as she set foot upon the grounds of Bayville High. Nobody looked twice at her, nobody cast her suspicious glances, and nobody yelled or cursed at her. Phew! What a relief! Xavier had undoubtedly kept his word, handling everything in his usual discreet and quick manner.

"To be honest, I still have a bad feeling about this," Roberto confessed to Rahne, as they headed to their lockers together.

"Why?" Rahne enquired. "The Professor never fails to keep his word. And if my eyes serve me correctly, nobody has pointed fingers at me yet."

"Marian's returning any day now, isn't she?" Roberto asked, swiftly changing the subject. "She's been away for weeks now. Isn't it time for her to return? Goodness, her whooping-cough must have been absolutely dreadful!"

"Well, she did tell me that she's coming back today, or tomorrow." Nervously, Rahne added, "I only hope she hasn't heard anything about my mutancy."

"Well, the Professor did say he'd deal with everything."

The rest of the day went on uneventfully, with no more talks of freaks and mutants. This served to partially relieve Rahne's anxiety, though deep down inside her, a strange nagging feeling kept bothering her, a feeling that something was still not quite right.

When the lunch bell rang, Rahne grabbed her Chemistry books and strode out of the class immediately, heading eagerly to Marian's locker to see if her friend was there. Much to her utter delight, there she was, alone, her back turned on Rahne.

"Marian!" Rahne called out with delight, a beam spreading over her face at once. "Hello, hello! How have you been?"

Marian flipped around at once, and Rahne was rather taken aback at the expression on Marian's face, for the latter's face turned pale, as she involuntarily took a hasty step backwards.

"Marian? Why do you…"

"Get back, Rahne!" Marian hissed, her eyes wide with fear. "Don't you dare come near me!"

"Wha…?"

"I know the truth, Rahne!" Marian snapped. "Mutant freak! How dare you come near me?"

Rahne's face blanched at once. "How did you know?" she gasped.

"I should think the _whole _neighbourhood knows about it!"

"Marian…" Rahne took a step closer.

"Get back, mutant freak!" Marian snapped, raising a fist. "Come just one step closer, and I'll scream! Go away!"

"Marian, please!" Rahne pleaded, horrified and hurt beyond measure. "I may be a mutant, but it doesn't change anything. I'm still the same person you've always known."

"Always known?" Marian gave a short, humourless laugh. "Don't ever say I know you, Rahne! You're nothing but a freak, a monster! Get lost! I don't ever want to see you again!"

"Marian, you do not have to hate me simply because I'm slightly different! What's the matter with you all? Our biological make-up may be altered, but our hearts stay the same. I've done nothing to anyone, and never will!"

"Liar!" Marian almost shouted. "You knew, didn't you? You knew of your mutancy, yet you pretend to be the same as ever! Liar! Betrayer!"

"Marian." Rahne clenched her fists tightly, trying not to lose her cool; it would never do now. "Please. I swear, I've not used my powers to harm anyone before; I would never do such a thing!"

"Enough of your lies and poisonous words! Go away, Rahne! For the sake of the friendship that was once between us, I promise I will not spread word around of your mutancy. But, should I ever see you engaged in any…activities that could harm anyone else, then know now that I will not hesitate to expose the truth to everyone else!"

_Something here doesn't tally up. How on earth did she know I'm a mutant? If she heard word from one of the students here, then why would she threaten to spread the word round; it would probably have spread around already anyway? _

Marian was already starting to stride away, a face a picture of absolute disgust. Desperate, shocked, Rahne rushed up to her, still pleading with Marian to reconsider her opinion.

"I said, get back, freak!" Marian snarled, shoving Rahne away roughly. "Or would you rather me scream?"

"Enough!" Rahne snapped bitterly, anger and fury overtaking sorrow and hurt. "I'm out of here now, as you wish. Nonetheless, I expect you to keep your promise, as you said you would! Goodbye, Marian." The Scottish girl marched away furiously in the opposite direction, never once looking back at her ex-friend. However, the moment she was out of sight, and all alone in a dark, silent corner, she found herself slumping against the wall, tears racking her body. She made no effort to conceal them; she simply allowed them to run down her face, soaking her visage and hands.

"Rahne? What's going on? Why are you crying here like this?"

Rahne forced herself to stifle another oncoming sob, frowning up at whomever had the cheek to disturb her.

"What's the matter?" The light threw some relief onto the speaker, and Rahne saw that it was Roberto, her dearest friend, his face a picture of concern and sorrow alike as he knelt down in front of her. "Did someone…"

"It's Marian," Rahne muttered through her tears. "Somehow, she's discovered the truth about me. Confronted me like a lioness and told me she never wants to see me again. What am I going to do, Roberto? Is the whole school soon going to turn against me simply because I'm different? Is that it?"

"No. Not the whole school." Roberto inched closer to her, giving her a gentle, comforting embrace. "The rest of the mutants in the Institute will most certainly not do such a thing. And most definitely not me. Nothing you do or say will turn me against you. Ever." Filled with a most unusual emotion he could not quite describe, he bent his head and gave her cheek a gentle kiss. Rahne accepted it without any protestation.

"Thank you, Roberto. With all my heart."

Rahne returned her friend's embrace and leaned into his chest, allowing herself to finally feel some comfort.

For she knew that no matter what Marian thought or said, she would always have a true companion and soul mate here.

In the form of Roberto.

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!! No reviews, no update. **

**Oh, and just to keep you interested, I'll let you all know that I'm gonna include REAL FLUFFY ROMANCE in the next chappie!!!! So, stay tuned, and keep REVIEWING!!!! **


	24. Friends for Life

**Yup, guys, I'm somehow still updating, despite only getting THREE reviews!!!! Anyway, slight change of plans, I made a last-minute decision to insert this chapter to fill up some missing links, so the fluff will have to wait. Sorry! **

Rahne sighed heavily and miserably as she and Roberto headed back to the Institute later that day. Marian's betrayal of her hurt far more than she allowed it to show. How could such a thing happen? How could Marian betray her just like that? How could, how could…

"I'm so sorry, Rahne, but there's nothing I can do about this. Everything was entirely Marian's choice, her own free will…No, I'm afraid not. It was her, Rahne, the _real_ Marian. Nobody has impersonated her, and no-one altered her mind…"

The rest of the mutants had been extra kind to her that day, especially Kelly and Amara. They had all fussed around her anxiously, offered her snacks and treats, or tried to console her verbally. But nothing worked. Nothing could soothe the tumult of emotions raging within. Not even the cheeky, light-hearted Ray could do anything to lighten her black mood with his usual jokes.

"Come, Rahne," Kelly tried to coax her. "Don't worry about it. If Marian is really such a narrow-minded and disloyal person, why be so upset about losing such a false friend?"

It was the perfectly wrong thing to say. Although Rahne made no verbal reply, her green eyes narrowed dangerously, and Kelly, being a good judge of character, had no other choice but to back-up at once, muttering an apology.

"Leave me alone! All of you!" Rahne snapped, as the others started crowding around her again, eager to offer a kind word or two. "All I need is some time alone! I'm not going to die as a result of this one idiotic betrayal! I'll survive yet!" Clenching her fists tightly, Rahne stormed up to her room alone. And this time, her fellow mutants made no more attempts to go after her.

"Cruel, cruel Marian!" Rahne raged, as she marched to her room and slammed the door violently behind her. "How right Kelly was! Perhaps it would be far better for me this way!"

She flung herself down onto the ground by her bed and buried her head in her hands, shaking with rage and bitterness.

Someone knocked on the door, tentatively. Rahne deliberately took no notice.

"Rahne, can I come in? It's me, Roberto."

Rahne made no reply; her mind had barely taken anything in.

Unable to wait for a reply, Roberto pushed the door open, and peered inside. Rahne was curled up by her bed now, staring down at the floor, her body as still as a statue. Her grief and hurt were extreme, there was no doubt about it.

"Rahne, I'm so sorry about what happened between you and Marian," Roberto begin.

"Roberto, please. I don't need anymore pity."

"I didn't come here to give you that. I've simply come to offer you friendship."

"Don't mess around with my feelings anymore," Rahne muttered unthinkingly.

"Why should I be so cruel?" Roberto asked, amazed at her statement, quickly reminding himself that she was already hurt and upset. He himself knew how such pain and betrayal felt like; there had still been no news whatsoever of his father.

Rahne's lower lip trembled, and before she could control herself, a tear rolled down her face, much to her horror.

"There, there," Roberto said soothingly, wiping the tear away very gently. "Don't you cry now. Whatever Marian said to you, it doesn't reflect the true _you_. She clearly doesn't know your true nature, your loyalty, your gentleness, your sincere character. Don't take it to heart, whatever rubbish she told you. You know it isn't true. Besides, you know you still have _us_. And you definitely still have _me_."

Rahne glanced up tentatively at her Brazilian friend, as if not too sure whether to believe him or not. His handsome face, however, had never been more serious or loving.

That expression of tenderness somehow broke through her misery at once, partially wiping out some of her pain. Unhesitatingly, she threw herself into his embrace; the two of them clung on to each other like lovers in a romantic film meeting each other for the last time. Rahne no longer cried nor shed any tears; she had passed even beyond the point of such sorrow, so much so that she couldn't even weep.

"There, there. You'll get over it soon enough, Rahne." Roberto stroked her hair gently, lightly resting his cheek on her head. "A traitor like Marian doesn't deserve your friendship. Better for you to give it to someone more deserving."

"Like you?" Rahne tried to joke.

"If you consider me worthy of your friendship, then yes," Roberto grinned, still holding her in a firm, comforting embrace.

Rahne found herself actually laughing out loud at this, unexpectedly. "Do you even have to mention that? I thought the answer was right under your nose!"

"Uh, to be honest, I don't see anything there."

"Huh!"

"Don't be so cheeky, little wolf!" Roberto gave her cheek a mild pinch, before swiftly withdrawing his hand, as though he feared to just touch her.

"Cheeky? Huh! But I guess I do have to thank you for always being there for me."

"Don't mention it," Roberto muttered, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Rahne reached out a hand and boldly cupped his face with it. "It's funny," she said, "how close we are now, considering what enemies we were less than a month ago. Hmmm. Life can be so twisty at times. Who knows where it'll lead us next?"

"Mmm-hmm." Roberto slowly clasped her hand in his, still against his face, in a most loving and gentle manner. Not for the first time, he felt that strange of desire again, to hold Rahne so tightly that they might never be parted again, or to kiss her, as he had _almost _done once, until Ray stumbled across them. But he made no attempt to do so this time; not yet, for it would probably only succeed in giving Rahne further shocks. His hands, however, had other ideas of their own.

"Roberto…" Rahne muttered uneasily, upon feeling his hands creeping lower down her back now. "What…" It seemed impossible to go on with her words, for she herself could no longer deny the strange feeling of pleasure; how she wanted him to go on, inappropriate thought it seemed. "I'm sure you remember what…"

Rahne was saved at that moment by the sounds of imminent footsteps; someone was clearly approaching the room. Blushing furiously, as memories of their previous romantic scene flooded his mind, Roberto immediately jerked backwards, wincing.

"Now _that _was awfully close," Rahne grimaced.

"Too close for comfort."

To this, Rahne made no reply; she simply smiled. Whatever happened now, life was definitely going to be good.

_Very _good.

**What the???!!!! Only three reviews for the previous chappie???!!! Huh!!! And I still updated???!!!! Hmmm…looks like I was being too kind. And so, back to cruel little me; this time, I ****definitely ****won't update till I hit 116 reviews. Otherwise the ****ULTIMATE**** RobRahne fluff will still have to wait; there'll be a lot more in the next chappie. So, GO ON and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Or the fluff will have to wait… **


	25. Day of Love

**Wow!!!! Eleven reviews suddenly? What an effective threat, to hold back the fluffiness! Thanks to whoever reviewed!!! **

The 14th of February came swiftly to America, announcing its arrival with an unusually bright, sunny day. It was most fortunate that it fell on a Saturday, so that none of the mutants in the Institute would have to celebrate the famous day of love in school.

Rahne was awakened _very _early in the morning by Kelly, who deliberately woke her roommate by pouring a whole cup of _very _cold water over the sleeping Scot girl. Taken entirely by surprise, Rahne leaped up in a flash, looking ready enough to take on a rampaging elephant.

"Whoa, Rahne! Calm down!" Kelly exclaimed. "Come on, you sleepyhead! Time to wake up and enjoy some romance!"

"Romance…?"

"Of course, silly! It's Valentine's Day! How could you forget?" Kelly gasped.

"Whoops," Rahne grinned sheepishly. "Nah….just kidding, of course! How could I possibly forget? I'm not such a scatterbrain, you know."

"So, who are you gonna celebrate with?" Kelly asked slyly.

"Nobody in particular," Rahne blushed.

"How about Roberto…"

"Kelly!" Rahne growled. "He ain't my beaux, so don't you dare suggest such a thing again!" Privately, though, Rahne wouldn't have minded something of that sort, although the idea made her want to blush all over again.

Rahne hurriedly pulled on her favourite green shirt and a black skirt plus a little silver necklace strung with a little flower, and for once took a _little _more time titivating herself up. Kelly, amused, watched Rahne out of the corner of her eyes. She knew Rahne well enough to know that Rahne just wasn't the sort of person who cared much about dressing up.

The moment Rahne and Kelly stepped out of the room, they were greeted by the sight of nearly the entire Institute gathered around in the corridors, knocking on their buddies' doors, or yelling out Valentine greetings. Rahne raised her eyes, frankly unsure of how to respond to such commotion.

"Aw, come on, Rahne! Don't be shy!" Kelly coaxed her friend. "It's Valentine's Day, after all! Time to celebrate!"

The rest of the day was generally spent in some fancy restaurant, out in the garden, or in some other romantic place. It seemed to Rahne that everyone had someone to pair up with – except for her. Ray confessed that he was going to take Amara out to the park to enjoy the fresh air and scenery. Samuel spent ages trying to bake a heart-shaped pie for Danielle, a Red Indian girl who had only joined the Institute fairly recently, but had already captured Sam's heart. Scott drove Jean out to some luxurious restaurant for a meal. Bobby spent hours making a large and eye-catching ice sculpture for a very amused Jubilee. Jamie tried to woo Siryn by painting her a picture, something which never had quite been in his ability. Kitty vanished somewhere with Lance Alvers, one of the Brotherhood members. Nightcrawler scampered off with Amanda, one of those few people who were willing to accept mutants for who they were. And Rogue summoned enough dignity and courage to accept an invitation from the rather _roguish _Remy, a regular member of the Acolytes. Only Roberto, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Seen Rob anywhere?" Rahne asked Ray, just before he could vanish with his date.

"Nope." He gave Rahne his most innocent look, his arm unabashedly linked with Amara's. "Ran off, apparently, and didn't breathe a word about where he went off to."

"Oh." Rahne hid her disappointment well, deciding it was best not to let him know how much she secretly desired to celebrate Valentine's Day with Roberto; she would definitely only end up being teased severely.

She made her way downstairs to the main foyer alone, hoping she would remain unseen. Best for her to keep a low profile

now, until she had got over her unwanted disappointment.

She turned a corner, and got a severe shock as she bumped into someone hidden by shadows. Jerking backwards violently, she hastened to utter a quick apology.

"Rahne?"

"Who…Roberto! Is that you?!"

"Who else would keep bumping into you?" With that, Roberto stepped into the light, clad in a formal white collared shirt and long dark pants. He looked _extremely _handsome, and Rahne found herself unable to tear her eyes off him.

"So, you decided to return after all?" Rahne teased him, her heart beating fiercely inside her chest. _He came back after all! Maybe he…_

"Um, Rahne?" Roberto cleared his throat unnecessarily, his voice now exceedingly nervous.

"Yeah? What's up? You sound…as though you're going to be sick."

"No way! But you see, it is Valentine's Day, after all, so, I, uh…wanted to give you something."

With that, Roberto bent down and picked up something which he had hidden behind him cunningly, and put into the hands of a very surprised Rahne a beautiful bunch of magnificent red roses.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Rahne," he mumbled, looking so awkward that Rahne nearly laughed out loud. So that was why Roberto had been out of sight for so long!

"Why, thank you, Roberto," Rahne breathed, taking in the sweet scent of the unusually large roses. "They're so beautiful! What magic have you worked on them?"

"I, uh, got Storm to aid me in growing them. She _is _an expert in growing stuff, after all."

"Thank you, Roberto." Rahne took a very deep breath, wondering if she could really summon enough courage to do what she intended to do next. "Why, where are you going?" she added, as Roberto attempted to run off like a frightened deer.

"Nowhere in particular," he mumbled embarrassedly.

"Oh, you silly boy!" Rahne laughed. "Don't you dare move a step yet! Did you _really_ think I could let you run off before I present you with _your _Valentine's Day present?"

Before Roberto could even open his mouth to reply, Rahne had taken a step forward, pressing her lips to his. Surprised beyond measure, Roberto froze, although his arms managed to pluck up enough movement to wrap themselves around her shoulders. _This _was surely the best Valentine's Day gift he could receiver, or ever receive. It seemed almost too good to be real.

"Well," Rahne murmured, as they finally pulled away for a moment, "I hope you like the gift? It's all I have for you, I'm afraid."

"Can't get a better gift than this!" Roberto gasped. "And since you have presented me with such a pleasurable one, I think I have to certainly repay it!"

With more boldness than he realized he possessed, Roberto returned the kiss, wounding his arms around Rahne's slender waist, feeling for the first time the sweet curve in her lower back. She made no attempt to pull away, but simply put up a hand to cup his cheek, the other resting itself on the back of his neck. Their kiss could hardly be described as wildly romantic or passionate, as you might see in the romantic movies; it was instead gentle and controlled and soft, a chaste kiss of friendship. Neither one, at that moment, could have cared less even if the entire school or Institute was watching them.

"Was that alright?" Roberto managed to grin, as they pulled apart again, with a certain reluctance and difficulty.

"Was it fine? You ask me that?" Rahne replied, in a tone of mock anger. "I seriously didn't realize you were such a good…oh well, never mind."

"And now, Rahne," Roberto continued, clearing his throat, "would you do me the honour of going with me to the Chéz Restaurant, just the two of us, for a meal? Of course, if you… if you…"

"Rob!" Rahne laughed. "Don't be daft now! How could anyone say no to such an invitation? How dare you!"

"I take that as a yes, then?"

"What else?"

Smiling, the two of them walked hand-in-hand to the door, and were soon lost to sight.

**Well, guys, like the fluff? I didn't want it to be too wildly passionate, as it seemed rather inappropriate for people their ****age, so I decided to limit it; please don't be mad at me!!! **

**And before you ask me, no, I don't write up the entire story, chapter by chapter, and then post the chappies one by one ****once I get five reviews. If I did that, this story wouldn't even be up yet! The only reason why this was posted so quickly ****was because I had already written about 65 of this chappie, and then I realized that there were still a couple of missing links between this chappie and the previous one, so I made a last-minute decision to post the previous one to bridge the gaps. **

**Anyway, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!! Be assured that I'll try and put up the next chappie as soon as possible ****(which shouldn't take too long this time; it's gonna be a little short, I warn you), but only once I've hit 127 reviews at ****least!!!!! More than that would be lovely, and might drive me to update much more quickly…**


	26. Epilogue

"No, no, noooo!!! Curse it! Curse everything! Curse them all!"

A loud, crashing noise as a vase was flung across the room violently, its delicate ceramic fracturing into thousands of fragments.

"Possessor!"

The one called 'Possessor' silently stepped forward, his face completely hidden from view by a long, dark hood wholly overshadowing his features. Only his eyes, dark and sinister, could be seen glittering from beneath the hood maliciously. He made no attempt to speak a word; he merely stood as still as a statue, almost seeming to blend in with the surroundings.

"Come, Possessor. We've got work to do. The sooner we get down to it, the better. Bring Shadow along. He may just be the one we need."

Another figure loomed up discreetly besides them, so unexpectedly and silently that it would have startled anyone else. But Anna Whitestar and Possessor gave no indication of shock whatsoever. Possessor merely kept his gaze fixed intently ahead of them, as if seeing things no-one else could see, while Anna smiled slowly, very slowly, as if a feeling of satisfaction could not come along quickly enough. Like Possessor, Shadow was just as enigmatic-looking, clad in garments as shadowy as her name and features: dark, wispy and not quite _there _somehow. Were it not for her gauzy black cloak and hood which gleamed a distinct black, she might as well have been completely invisible to view.

"Come, both of you. We've got work to do. Shadow." Anna spoke the name almost as a command.

A peculiar smile, eerily emotionless and yet chilly at the same time, spread over Shadow's odd, hidden face. With never a word, she raised her two long, pale hands towards the ceiling, and shut her cold dark eyes. From around them, a cloak of dark, mysterious shadows arose, enveloping the trio in a garment of darkness.

And then the three of them were gone, lost to view, with never a sound nor sight to indicate where they had vanished to.

**REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, GUYS!!!! I had 9 reviews for the previous chappie, so thanks a lot to everyone who reviewed!!! Please keep it up!!! I'd love to hit more than 5 reviews again this time!!! **

**And yes, I know this chappie is extremely short and …weird, but I have reasons for making it so. A surprise will be up in the next chappie, so if you want to see it, REVIEW!!!!! Otherwise it won't be up until I've hit at least 136 reviews!!! And I mean it, even if it means waiting for a decade… **


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